The Best Picture of 2013

Rating: 10/10 (18 January 2014)

"The Wolf of Wall Street" is Martin Scorsese at his most unrestrained. For a filmmaker no stranger to controversy, (and often condemned for his depictions of violence) it's really saying something that this is his most lurid picture to date. That may be too mild a statement.
Leonardo DiCaprio is Jordan Belfort, a married, seemingly idyllic New York stockbroker who takes a job with an established Wall Street firm. By chance, he is noticed by his Boss Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey, in a memorable minor appearance) who takes him under his wing and advises him to adopt a steady lifestyle of sex and drugs in order to succeed. Not before long, "Black Monday" hits, leaving Jordan without a job and with little options. His wife pressures him into taking a job with a small Long Island firm who's penny stock dealings are of the shady variety. His aggressive knack for the scam amount him a fortune, and it's not long before he along with new found friend and all-around oddball Donnie (Jonah Hill) open their own firm "Stratton Oakmont," ambitiously scamming their way to the top. This soon gets the attention of Forbes (who label Jordan The Wolf of Wall Street) and inevitably the FBI.
"The Wolf of Wall Street" is completely outrageous, hilarious, perverse, vulgar, and brilliant. In it's three hours of (mostly) depravity, it gets away with things that R-rated films usually don't or wouldn't even try. But this is no mere waltz in exploitative muck. There's a method to this madness sure, but a point as well. It's an exquisitely naughty satire... a send up that is to corporate and systemic corruption what "Taxi Driver" is to suppressed rage in the face of a collapsing infrastructure. The dark comedy of Terence Winter's script effectively cutting just as deep as the rebel yell of Paul Schrader's opus.
Belfort is essentially a scumbag who embodies a lot of what's wrong with the western world (as does the film itself), but this degenerate provides the perfect vessel for what is arguably Leonardo DiCaprio's best performance. The guy's a marvel to watch. We should hate him, but we never do and attentively watch his unbelievable story unfold for 180 minutes. That's a credit to DiCaprio's endlessly likable presence and under-appreciated range. He balances the comedy, the dramatics, the intensity; commanding the screen in a way few could. Look to the already classic, as well as horrifyingly hilarious "Quaaludes" scene (THE scene of 2013) for definitive proof of his skill. Jonah Hill (surprisingly Oscar nominated for his role) is really strong here as is the pitch- perfect cast in it's entirely, including Margot Robbie, Jon Bernthal, Rob Reiner, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin, and most notably Kyle Chandler who's federal agent Denham emerges as our moral compass through the sleaze.
"The Wolf of Wall Street," a remarkable directorial achievement, is above all else a masterpiece of pacing. This is a three-hour epic, but you'd never know as it flies by like a picture half it's length. The film maintains a sense of urgency so that even extended scenes are played snappy and breeze by. The film spits so much quick fire information that a mere bathroom break would throw a viewer so out of the loop that catching back up would feel impossible. It's marvelous to behold how Scorsese is able to stuff every frame with so much detail and never have it overwhelm or feel like graphic overkill. Like "Goodfellas" and "Casino" we are more than happy to soak all of this in. Despite the potentially off-putting motivations and actions of these characters, Scorsese captures glimpses of humanity while entertaining the hell out of us at the same time.
Comparisons made to "Goodfellas" and "Casino" should not only be acknowledged but welcome. Those are two of Marty's very best films, and in time I have an inkling that "The Wolf of Wall Street" will be held in similarly high regard.
Now the hot button issue. Is "Wolf" a celebratory picture glorifying a culture of corporate thievery, rampant carnality, and hardcore drug use? Some might feel this way, but they have either been seduced by the events portrayed or have refused to read between the line... missing the entire point in the process. That's not the fault of the film or it's makers, but select audiences that consume entertainment at face value alone.
For it's incendiary screenplay, wicked sense of humor, on point performances, outstanding editing, and typically stellar direction from the master, "The Wolf of Wall Street" is frankly a phenomenal film that can't be ignored. It's the fastest three-hours in the history of cinema.
"The wolf of Wall Street" is the best picture of 2013.