GP G.S. Perno

While Martin Scorsese’s film career is varied, he is perhaps best known for his crime dramas. The Wolf of Wall Street is a crime drama, but of a very different type. Luckily, although the content may be different than what we are used to from the veteran director, it is a worthy addition to his filmography.

The Wolf of Wall Street is based on the biography of Jordan Belfort, a scandalous New York stockbroker. The film adapts the perspective of the book, rather than telling the story organically. To frame the film in this way, Scorsese uses voice over narration and descriptive interludes where characters address the camera directly. Furthermore, because the film uses the Belfort’s biography as its frame of reference, the tone isn’t as strict as we’re used to seeing in this type of film. Instead, the film feels more like a black comedy, more devoted to getting a reaction out of the audience rather than making sure the details are 100% correct or that the story is told as realistically as possible. This may be the biggest problem some people may have with this film, but it is also its best attribute.

Biographical dramas, including Scorsese’s own Aviator, have typically been stoic in their focus and devotion to the truth. The Wolf of Wall Street isn’t necessarily making things up, it just doesn’t spend the time to fill in the details. In fact, the film revels in its disobedience to tradition. There are several moments where characters in the film outright address the audience directly to tell us that it doesn’t matter HOW something happened, only that it DID happen. Furthermore, the film is incredibly explicit, focusing on sex, drugs, and alcohol rather than only showing glimpses of what is happening behind closed doors. This energy and lack of restraint aren’t just an attempt to make the film more exciting or streamlined (it’s already 3 hours long), this is a new type of storytelling. This is a rebellious attitude in content and perspective that we haven’t really seen from Scorsese before, and as such, is a pleasant surprise. The Wolf of Wall Street isn’t traditional wholesome entertainment, but it showcases a new style and is proof that after all these years Scorsese still has some tricks up his sleeve.

Entertainment Value: The film has much more to offer its viewers besides a questionable amount of sex and drug content. The explicit nature of the film is just one aspect of the way it explodes onscreen. It starts with the story, which despite being rather long and depressing when you think about it, manages to be a lot of fun while you are watching it. The tone of the movie is very tongue-and-cheek, so serious issues are faced with a sense of humor rather than projecting the emotion on the audience. Next, the characters themselves are very entertaining. The actors do a great job injecting them with a liveliness that makes them seem somewhat cartoonish rather than realistic. This makes their ridiculous lives and decisions easier to swallow. Finally, you have the structure of the film itself. The plot unfolds in a non-traditional and direct manner. This means that every twist and turn feels fresh, new, and unique. Good (4.5/5)

Story: Jordan Belfort is a new stock broker in New York. He is working for a big-name company on Wall Street when his rising career is suddenly shot down by Black Monday in 1987. Desperate and jobless, he takes a job trying to sell garbage stocks. In the process, he comes up with a brilliant idea to make money. He meets his future collaborator Donnie Azoff, and starts his own company. Based on shady business practices and stock market manipulation, his company takes off and soon he is rolling in the money, and everything that comes along with it. Eventually the FBI is on his tail and his personal and professional lives are spiraling out of control. Good (3.5/5)





Acting: Leonardo DiCaprio continues his collaboration with Martin Scorsese, this time playing Jordan Belfort. This is the perfect role for DiCaprio. Jordan is smart, reckless, charismatic, and brash – all attributes that DiCaprio is excellent at conveying. Plus, although Jordan Belfort is all about the image, DiCaprio’s performance has a lot of subtlety to it too. Seeping through the cracks of his façade are hints that Belfort is in well over his head. In a supporting role is Jonah Hill as Donnie Azoff. Like his role in 2011’s Moneyball, Hill really proves he can do more than comedy (of course, the somewhat comedic tone of this film is right up his alley). Hill’s performance is perhaps the standout in this movie, his character is even more careless and incompetent than Belfort, but he is more likable and always entertaining. The rest of the supporting cast is diverse and their performances are varied, ranging from deeply serious to almost slapstick. Margot Robbie showed some acting ability as Jordan’s love interest, but her more serious attitude is somewhat draining on the overall tone of the film. Rob Reiner yells a lot and is one of many entertaining characters as Jordan’s high-strung father. Kyle Chandler plays an FBI agent trying to take down Jordan, and although it seems like we’ve seen him in these type of roles before, for this one he shows us a few surprises. Jean Dujardin plays a twisted Swiss banker, and although he is one of the more silly characters, fits in well. Matthew McCaughey makes a brief appearance as one of Jordan’s mentors. He is bizarre but effective in his short stint. Good (4/5)

Director: Martin Scorsese’s dedication to his films has never been in question, and The Wolf of Wall Street proves that his ability to pull off ambitious films has not gone away. This film could easily have been boring and predictable, but thanks to Scorsese, it isn’t. Credit goes to his impeccable eye for detail. Scorsese starts by creating a solid foundation with which to tell his story and highlight the performances of his actors. The film is laid out almost linearly, but the passing of time feels almost inconsequential. This frees up Scorsese to be creative in the way his characters interact and develop. For example, DiCaprio will address the camera directly, or use a montage or slow motion to entertain rather than advance the story in a logical manner. The film’s perspective is fresh and vibrant, but by exploiting the excess, it is savage and relentless. Thankfully, Scorsese understands this. He doesn’t allow you to take it seriously even though the content is very disturbing, and therefore it becomes palatable. It’s a non-traditional take on a storied film genre. Good (4.5/5)





Production: All of the excess in the story is matched by the visuals. The costumes, the hairstyles, the cars, and the sets are all outrageous in their own regard. The makeup is also well done. The story takes place over a span of a few years, starting when Belfort is in his twenties. They do a great job of aging DiCaprio accordingly. Unfortunately, while the film revels in its excessive displays, it can come off as a bit irreverent. The film maker’s choices to skip out on some of the details can result in the film feeling unrestrained and less important given the subject matter. Worst of all, the film has some very emotional moments. While those moments are well done (Scorsese has historically always handled those moments well), and perhaps the highlight of the film, they feel out of place with the almost satirical tone. The characters don’t seem to care what is happening to them until it is too late, and by that time the audience can’t take their sincerity seriously. It is a problem inherent with pushing the black comedy as much as this film did, but that forcefulness was necessary in order for the film not to end up being offensive. Good (3.5/5)