Pat Boody, Staff Writer
“The Wolf of Wall Street,” the latest edition to Martin Scorsese’s repertoire, is based off of Jordan Belfort’s ascension to the top. Playing the real life connoisseur of stock trading and notorious white-collar criminal, fan favorite Leonardo DiCaprio took on the lead role and proved he was the best for the part. In fact, DiCaprio has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor, proving his ability to pull off one of the best leading roles in all of 2013.
Belfort starts his journey on Wall Street by acquiring an entry level stockbroker position from a man named Mark Hanna, played by Matthew McConaughey. Hanna immediately takes note of Belfort’s naivety but also his wit. Shortly afterward Hanna becomes his mentor and reveals to him all the ins and outs of trading on the market. Belfort takes this knowledge to heart and lives his life the way Hanna does.
After being laid off from his position working for Hanna, Belfort lands a job selling penny stocks on Long Island and manages to sell thousands of dollars of these stocks. His pure skill in persuasion allows him to become incredibly successful at the art of selling and becomes his ticket to the top. He soon starts his own business and his career takes off.
The rest of the movie depicts his rise to the top and includes all the details of being a member of society’s elite. This includes his cocaine and pill use, continuous sex with hookers and his own divorce. These details only add to the appeal of the film, making it that much more authentic. For a crime film, this movie definitely has great comedic value to it, too. “The Wolf of Wall Street” is executed precisely and manages to find many surprising emotions in an otherwise scandalous story.
The excess vulgarity in the film is controversial because it has such an in-your-face manner. Some may argue that it is too inappropriate to enjoy, yet this film doesn’t waste a single scene. Each period is purposefully placed to walk the viewer through the life of Belfort. Censoring it would not only make the film less interesting, but take away its authenticity.
This film’s ending was thought provoking and definitely an interesting jab at American society as a whole. Many believe the American dream is acquiring as much wealth as possible at any cost, and Scorsese’s film really questions the morality behind it. Are the consequences of getting caught worth the fast life? Is it ethical to sell people stocks that are undoubtedly going to fail and not yield a profit? Jordan Belfort clearly thought this life of being a big-business crook was worth it and “The Wolf of Wall Street” displays it remarkably.
Leave a Reply