Wall Street Exposed

Rating: 9/10 (7 April 2014)

The Wolf of Wall Street is exhibition of excess, greed and the perversion of the American dream, it's deeply honest and darkly humorous story of the rise and fall of the infamous Wall Street stockbroker Jordan Belfort. DiCaprio comfortably steps into the shoes of the ruthless wolf 'Jordan Belfort' he quickly transitions from a naive intern to a ruthless, amoral Wall Street tycoon. He goes for lunch with a senior stockbroker to learn that the industry is really just a zero-sum game. No one really knows which stocks are going up and down and no one wins but the broker - all that matters is whether you can sell. Jordan Belfort is the poster boy for everything Wall Street doesn't want us to know.
Wall street is depicted to be a world of animalistic instincts where only the ruthless survive. The employees at Stratton Oakmont are often beating their chests like monkeys, chanting in a ritualistic manner, having sex in front of each other and pissing in the offices. The office truly is a wolf pit, where man is enslaved by his primal instincts. Testosterone is in the air, fueling aggressive confrontation and impulsive behavior; in one scene Jonah Hill's character eats another employees goldfish in front of him to assert his dominance. Belfort and his co-workers increase their wealth in equal measure to their hedonism and quest for instant gratification. Cocaine and sedatives called 'Ludes' become as commonplace as coffee, a seemingly necessary part of life as a stockbroker in the 80s. The film is laced with moral questions; even more pertinent in today's economic climate Scorsese makes us ask ourselves how much is too much?
The film often feels like a series of darkly humorous anecdotes. At times it can feel like it is missing a direction or any real plot. Only in the last third of the film does a solid plot start to develop with the long awaited arrival of an antagonist. However, the plot is not what makes this film great - it's the depth of the characters, The Wolf of Wallstreet should be viewed as a character study of a man corrupted by wealth and in that respect it excels.
I was expecting DiCaprio to blow me away with a performance worthy of an Oscar, but instead I found myself pleasantly surprised at the intensity of Johan Hill's performance. My previous experience of him playing a similar version of the same character led me to believe that he was a one trick pony and made me question whether he could pull off such a complex role However, Jonah proved his diversity as an actor and brought the character 'Donny' to life with a powerful performance, sparking intensely funny scenes with his natural comedic flare. He was reportedly only paid $60,000 for his supporting role, choosing to work on the film because of his respect for Scorsese. Despite being paid much less than DiCaprio, Jonah arguably gave a better performance and deserved to win an Oscar for best supporting role.
9/10