Leonardo DiCaprio
Jonah Hill
Margot Robbie
Matthew McConaughey
Kyle Chandler
Rob Reiner
Jon Bernthal
Jon Favreau
Jean Dujardin

Terence Winter

180 mins.
Biography, Comedy, Crime
December 25, 2013

Rated R for sequences of strong sexual content, graphic nudity, drug use and language throughout, and for some violence. (MPAA)

Excess, excess, excess: Scorsese really drives his point home in “The Wolf of Wall Street,” all the way to (and, perhaps, past) the point of exhaustion. It seems that the esteemed director decided to give the audience all that it could stand with this one. Just when you think it’s finally over, it finds a way to keep going.

This film provides a strong commentary on capitalism and the American desire to become wealthy. The question is: At what cost? This is an implied question, rather than an explicit one.

Some have criticized this film’s avoidance of depicting all of the victims of the crimes perpetrated by most of its characters, but I believe that it was wise to avoid that. That would have made this a different film. As it is, I’m able to imagine the damage done to the nameless victims and compare what I imagine to what’s going on onscreen. In some ways, that’s more horrifying; it’s a reminder that victims are ignored every day and will continue to be.

As a viewer, I felt hung-over about a third of the way through this three-hour bacchanal. Corruption has never been this slick or, again, this exhausting. Some may not be able to take the repetitive assault that this film brings, but it’s for a clear purpose. (David O. Russell may have pulled some cards from the Scorsese playbook for “American Hustle,” but clarity wasn’t one of them. Scorsese’s trademark use of music and voice-overs is still going strong, something else that Russell didn’t mimic effectively enough.)

The actors are game, with Leonardo DiCaprio leading the charge (literally and figuratively). He’s such a smart actor, and this performance is par for the course for him. I just wish that he would connect his brain to his body (his physicality) and his voice even more. That would be something to see. Jonah Hill has some fabulous improv moments. I enjoyed watching him go from discovering new things to say during a scene to relishing the chance to say them.

The rest of the cast was just that, well-cast. Margot Robbie brings unexpected smarts to her role as a second wife to a wealthy wild-man. And Matthew McConaughey delivers a solid cameo as the predecessor to Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio). Everyone else seems to be willing to do just about anything for this director.

Many may not like the message of “The Wolf of Wall Street,” but it’s an accurate one; some may or may not buy this story or even the story on which it’s based, but that’s the point.

Unlike “Goodfellas” and “Casino,” this isn’t a film that I want to see again; but I appreciate Scorsese’s directorial vision, precision, and guts.

Verdict: Good

About: (Source: wolfofwallstreet)

Sex. Money. Power. Drugs. Brace yourself for an outrageous true story from legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese that critics are calling “a masterpiece for a new generation.”* Leonardo DiCaprio delivers “the best performance of his career”** as a young stockbroker hungry for a life of non-stop thrills, where corruption is king and more is never enough. His rise to power earned him the title The Wolf of Wall Street. Together, Scorsese and DiCaprio deliver a story of American excess that is “an absolute blast from start to finish.” ***

* James Verniere, Boston Herald
** Claudia Puig, USA Today
*** Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle