On face value, Martin Scorsese's altogether rude and spunky "The Wolf of Wall Street" fits the bill of exploitative junk. A "Boys in Pinstripes Gone Wild," if you will, that is classed up by a wildfire of a performance from Leonardo DiCaprio playing a real-life Wall Street dealmaker and lawbreaker.
Take one look at the hard-R-rated debauchery on display, the scenes of excessive partying that lead to tossed-off tops and bottoms. The marathon drug-taking sessions that fuel shady deals and high jinks on yachts and in offices big and shoddy. And the rampant disregard for anything remotely associated with political correctness.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort in 'The Wolf of Wall Street.' (Mary Cybulski/Paramount Pictures) ( Photo credit: Mary Cybulski )
All of it comes scandalously, gloriously into focus because of the spry-beyond-his-years direction from Scorsese, a dead-on screenplay by Terence Winter and the dexterous, seamless editing of Thelma Schoonmaker Powell.
But Scorsese's in-your-face exploration of Wall Street swindling and powertripping isn't a cheesy wallow designed for the raincoat crowd. It has a sharp point to it that stabs at the heart of the American way of moneymaking and at those who worship the mighty dollar and see hucksters like Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio) as soothsayers with a magic formula worth learning from.
Few films have so blatantly portrayed the amoral absurdities of Wall Street fat cats like this naughty, adults-only ride through the lifestyles of the rich and infamous. If you thought your holiday office parties spun out of control, you haven't seen anything yet.
The decadent antics that unspool seem over-the-top, but they're all rooted in reality, since "The Wolf of Wall Street" is based on Belfort's best-selling confessional of his flashy ascent and fiery descent as a stockbroker who cofounded New York's Stratton Oakmont. The dashing Belfort took nothing and turned it into something by corralling a posse of wanna-get-rich compatriots to help lead others into bad investments during the 1980s and '90s. Soon enough, the FBI caught a whiff of what was really going down.
DiCaprio is ideal to play a cunning smoothie like Belfort; using that twinkle in his eye and boyish charisma even better than he did as Jay Gatsby. This is his finest three hours of work and his most demanding role yet, one that requires him to be raw, unhinged and showier than ever. Whether he's on the phone luring someone to send him a check for a dicey investment, or flopping around the floor after ingesting too many quaaludes, DiCaprio hits the jackpot.
He's not alone. In a small, sharply written role, Matthew McConaughey is electrifying as coke-snorting mentor Mark Hanna, who engages in a bawdy, off-the-rails lunch conversation. Funnyman Jonah Hill elicits his usual big laughs as Belfort's kooky neighbor and eventual partner, Donnie Azoff.
And in smaller but essential parts, Kyle Chandler makes for formidable FBI foil Patrick Denham, while Margot Robbie spices things up as Belfort's second trophy wife, Naomi.
As good as they are, there's no doubt this is a two-person show. The partnership of DiCaprio-Scorsese has been a good one, including "The Departed" and "Shutter Island." With "The Wolf of Wall Street" it's clear that all their work together has created a bond that is yielding some big dividends, with the biggest payday coming yet for DiCaprio.
'The Wolf of Wall Street'
* * * ½
Rating: R (for sequences of strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language throughout, and for some violence throughout)
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey,
Kyle Chandler
Director: Martin Scorsese
Running time: 2 hours,
59 minutes
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