No spoilers because there are no surprises

Rating: 1/10 (2 March 2014)

To say I hated this film would be an understatement. I knew little about it, other than reading a review in Empire magazine a couple of days before. Approximately one hour in, I went and retrieved the magazine to read the review again because I could see no resemblance on screen to the reviewer's glowing praise on the page.
Here I must admit to being female, and also totally appalled at the misogynistic, vile portrayal of just about every woman in this film. The only one that isn't pawed over, stripped and slapped about like a piece of meat is Jordan's first wife, but she is lied to, sidelined, betrayed and dropped as though she never meant a thing. The new wife that replaces her gets a 5 minute courtship, a honeymoon period of approximately the same duration, and is then firmly placed on the humiliation conveyor belt.
As for the legions of whores and other apparently inconsequential women, just about every scene is filled with their degradation. Not even key colleagues get any respect, as one scene determinedly shows the only woman at work to be named down on her knees in a glass lift with her face firmly stuck to the front of some moron's flies.
Yes, I am sure that being a woman has coloured my view of how women are portrayed in this film (and yes, the Empire reviewer was a man) but I notice I am not alone in being disgusted by the over-the-top porn and sheer vileness of behaviour that is revelled in and served up for what I am assured in other reviews is 2.1/2 hours. I probably lasted just over an hour before I gave up. Gave up hoping for any kind of story, gave up hoping for different characters instead of the same character assigned to just about every actor on screen. Gave up hoping that somebody, ANYBODY of the opposite sex might actually be treated fairly, even for half a minute.
Where was the story? What was this about? What was the effect on the victims that were sold useless penny stocks? No, they don't feature either as the film relentlessly focuses on the bullies and morons that relieve them of their hard-earned cash with no glimpse of the consequences. When these heroes stop their carousing it is only to have pointless gibbering conversations about nothing which just serve to delay the orgies momentarily. Nothing is said that advances the story as the only story here is sex, drugs and exploitation. It is the pornographic equivalent of an evening looking at someone's boring holiday photos.
There is zero progression, zero development, and - as far as I am concerned - zero interest in actually telling a story and entertaining the audience, just a determination to portray every excess known to man for no reason or purpose. Who cares if the real Jordan did any of this? I kept waiting for Vince Vaughn to show up as it was more like one of his puerile comedies than an Oscar-nominated film.
I am old enough to have worked in a corporate environment in the City of London during the 80s. Yes the place was awash with money, but every woman was not treated like an expendable whore. Shame on Scorsese and all involved. I am no shrinking violet but so much emphasis on misogynistic, negative behaviour means little or no emphasis on anything else that could have made this a worthwhile film to watch. Ultimately it has nothing to say except F U, and does nothing but relieve the public of its entrance money with little return (true to its subject matter in that respect).
This morning I watched District 9 which I had recorded on a whim and also knew nothing about. A film with plenty of heart, made on a tiny fraction of the budget blown on The Wolf of Wall Street, and to much greater effect. No prizes for guessing which of these films I would recommend.