A brilliant satirical takedown on greed!

Rating: 10/10 (2 May 2014)

"The Wolf of Wall Street" is a black comedy that presents the story of the rise and downfall of Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker who through illegal pump-and-dump scams managed to make a big fortune.
The movie is an adaptation of Jordan Belfort's memoir of the same name. The film deals principally with greed and how it can greatly change a person.
The movie is directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort and Jonah Hill as Donnie Azoff, Belfort's partner in the scam. It marks the fifth collaboration between DiCaprio and Scorsese.
Leonardo DiCaprio is magnificent as Belfort, managing to portray him in a brilliant way, showing off the character's extravagant and vice-filled lifestyle. DiCaprio is able to show on-screen the radical transformation his character goes through when money and greed come into play. Jonah Hill's portrayal of Belfort's sidekick is great too, the actor uses his comedic abilities to bring fun to the duo. And Martin Scorsese's direction is excellent. The production studio's decision to tell Belfort's story without restrictions allowed him to make the movie the way it had to be done for audiences to really get an idea about how far greed can take someone.
All this elements make "The Wolf of Wall Street" an excellent film, a movie that has to be seen as a satirical takedown on greed rather than as a glorification of it, to be able to fully understand and enjoy it.