an epic tale of unquenchable desire and ruthless

Rating: 9/10 (2 February 2014)

here is another epic tale of unquenchable desire and ruthless candor from an ever vital and sharp filmmaker. fueled by breathless narrative pace, Scorsese directs the madness all around not to be a by-product or an excessive result, but as a driver and engine to a story about hedonistic, escalating thrills, relentlessly fighting the normal and the boring. Belfort is an animated character, and Dicaprio is on point to channel all the energy and exuberance. he really bares his all in different ways and delivers one of the finest performances of his career.
this film indeed doesn't glorify nor condemn Belfort's actions or lifestyle. that's interesting because, to me, Belfort isn't irredeemable, and as such, his character is compelling and the verdict on him is up in the air.. the thing is that, actually, morality is relative; and, provided a situation where society disagrees about what is moral, which is most of time, nobody is objectively right or wrong. the value of morality really gains significance when society is introduced, otherwise, it's whatever works. Belfort's story is a great example of moral judgement being relative to some certain standpoint, and the film excels is demonstrating just that.