The Wolf of Wall Street

My Grade:  B

Martin Scorsese is famous for making protagonists out of those that could be the “bad guys” in someone else’s film. His classic gangster film Goodfellas is a prime example. While these are guys that constantly break the law, disrespect pretty much everyone, and even murder people without blinking an eye, we still kind of want to hang out with them. My problem with Scorsese’s most recent attempt at doing the same thing, The Wolf Of Wall Street, is that there is nothing redeeming about these characters whatsoever. At least in Goodfellas they are loyal to each other and have some sort of code. Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) is defined by two words:  ‘greed’ and ‘addiction.’ That’s it. There’s nothing more to him at all. So, three hours of his repugnant life is a little much with no “save the cat” moment (that’s a reference for all my screenwriting brethren). The writer tries one time to show that Belfort is capable of doing good for someone other than himself but it seems forced and, thus, falls flat.

That is not to say this is a bad film. Wolf shows off stellar performances from top talent and introduces us to the dramatic chops of the beautiful Margot Robbie (Naomi). She steals every scene she’s in and Jonah Hill (Donnie) has never been better. The truly outstanding thing about this film, though, is the electric performance by DiCaprio. This is by far the best performance of his career (even better than What’s Eating Gilbert Grape which I have said might be the single best acting performance I had ever seen). In a year packed full of outstanding performances by male leads, my Oscar vote would go to DiCaprio. Simply breathtaking.  

The cinematography is also top notch. Rodrigo Prieto’s (director of photography) camera soars through the narrative, dizzying us in this debauchery-ridden dream that we can’t escape... but don’t want to. This film about addiction is addictive. You don’t even feel bad for laughing at the blackest of black comedy until after the film has released you from its grasp and you step back from it to realize what you just watched is the filthiest, grimiest story you have ever seen. Some critics have lambasted this film as nothing more than filth but it’s not my place to say whether it should or shouldn’t use the ‘f word‘ over 500 times (the most in cinematic history) or contain some of the more graphic drug use and sexual content you’ll see in a movie. That’s an artistic choice by the director and if any story warranted it, it’s this story. So I laud Scorsese for not pulling any punches. But it was a bit much for my taste.

That’s not why this film will not make my ‘Top of 2013’ list, though. With thin characters and little to no substance, this isn’t my cup of tea. Also, with all that the film has to say about addiction (to drugs, money, power, sex, etc.) it doesn’t really condemn it. There are moments in the film in which it seems to condemn Belfort’s lifestyle and warn the audience about the dangers of addiction. But, a few moments later, it will celebrate this lifestyle and brush it off as “no big deal” or even “fun.” If Belfort got what he deserved by the end, I could rally behind this film more; but he essentially gets a slap on the wrist for being even more of a slimeball by selling out his friends.

Overall, The Wolf Of Wall Street is a dizzying, zany, thrill ride that draws you in with the deft skill of a master filmmaker, but ultimately becomes an empty experience because it is confused with how it treats addiction and there is no redeeming quality about any of the characters. Leonardo DiCaprio, though, shines. This role is something to define a career... and DiCaprio already has an outstanding body of work. If ever he deserved to finally get an Oscar, it’s for this performance.