If you like money, drugs and hookers then you will like Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street.” But be careful what you wish for because the film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the Wolf himself, Jordan Belfort, is raw and completely unforgiving. DiCaprio begins his role as Belfort with an opening scene showing the actor snorting cocaine out of a young woman’s ample rear end and this is one of the more tame views that shoot across the screen. So be sure to watch this film with an open-minded crowd, and prepare to laugh. Breaking in to the comedic genre, both Scorsese and DiCaprio immerse themselves in the physical comedy and hilarious interactions that took place between Belfort and his “merry band of brokers.” However, make no mistake this is still a film about crime, similar to Scorsese’s infamous “Goodfellas,” “The Wolf of Wall Street” is three hours of crime, corruption and all out testosterone infused excess. Even Scorsese’s direction of the abundant number of sex scenes shows the excessive nature of Belfort’s real life escapades.
While viewers may be thrown off by the shock and awe technique invoked by Scorsese -- that was the point. The story is the true tale of Belfort, who is the classic victim of an almost unbelievable rise and fall story of excess. While audience members may cringe at the seemingly unnecessary number of bare breasts, large piles of cocaine that was the reality of Belfort’s life. Belfort in addition to his Stratton Oakmont partner, Donnie Azoff, who is played by Jonah Hill, raised hell in their Long Island brokerage house. DiCaprio and Hill have never been better, in hard too watch scenes, with uproarious dialogue, the two actors played the stock brokers with charisma, energy, and somehow turned these money laundering villains into everyone’s favorite frat boy neighbors. But the glamour and rosy sheen that covered the Stratton Oakmont founders slowly started to fade away as they popped more Quaaludes. In a concluding scene of “The Wolf of Wall Street” Belfort learns that his second wife Naomi, played by newcomer Margot Robbie, has decided to file for divorce, however the power and greed that has fueled Belfort takes over, he beats his wife and relapses. Ripping open his goose feather stuffed couch discovering a stash of cocaine, Belfort literally drops his head into what most would assume was confectioner’s sugar. He then decides that his wife is not taking “his” children, and takes his toddler Skylar for a joy ride before crashing into his own front iron gate. The incident could have been a tragedy, but luckily both walked out of the all white Ferrari, which Belfort purchased after he'd seen Don Johnson drive one in "Miami Vice." DiCaprio’s performance showed the depth of the story, as the scene represented the continuing demise of the Wolf’s reign.
While DiCaprio, Hill, and Scorsese created a wild viewing opportunity, the true gem of this production is Terrence Winter and the screenplay he adapted from Belfort’s memoir of the same name. While all book to film adaptions are difficult to master, this movie is an anomaly of this category, hitting the mark with ease. Winter, who is best known for his production and writing of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” and “The Sopranos”, turned Belfort’s real life confessional into an offbeat and phenomenal production. With the strength of Winter’s writing, the DiCaprio-Scorsese chemistry made their fifth collaboration a true knock out.
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