''A Cautionary Tale'' played incredibly by an unchained DiCaprio

Rating: 9/10 (1 April 2016)

I postponed watching this film for a couple of years for it seemed too long and the plot was already everywhere on the internet. But when I finally found enough time to watch it in full, oh boy, was I surprised! I can see why many people hated this film as it goes against morals and religion and traditional thought patterns, but to free-thinking, religion-less people like me, this movie was a blast! I laughed to tears at some scenes, and almost wept at one particular scene, and let me tell you, I'm not a shallow person, and I'm in fact hard to impress by contemporary cinema. People tend to forget this film is meant as a purely entertaining adaptation of a book based on one's life with the intention to raise awareness on the consequences of crimes. It's not just about the hookers and the drugs and the recklessness! As the real Jordan Belfort himself has stated, he hopes this film to serve as ''a cautionary tale'' and that people will also appreciate the work of genuine and talented stockbrokers (not just their sins and crimes) - remember the ''sell me this pen'' scene? I already knew Leonardo DiCaprio could act phenomenally, but his performance in ''The Wolf of Wall Street'' seems of another superior calibre. Despite his constant yelling and orange tan, he poured out his soul in this one, as always, He even damaged his back for goodness's sake for the crawling scene that he had to shoot for an entire week and then needed a chiropractor! He impersonated Belfort incredibly, without being ridiculous, without trying to mimic his voice or gestures, added a personal touch to the story, and he came up with the idea of doing this film in the first place! DiCaprio read the hard copy of Belfort's book (while vacationing on his yacht probably), and he thought it would make a great film, so he contacted Scorsese and you can guess the rest. Keeping the audience engaged and laughing or crying for 3 hours shows the hard work that was put in the making of this film (extras included) and it does not fail to impress. A must-watch for DiCaprio and Scorsese avid fans!