The Wolf of Wall Street

*****
Release Date: January 17th 2014

Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.

Director: Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island, The Departed, The Aviator, Gangs of New York)

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Jon Bernthal, Kyle Chandler

Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese are familiar with the way each other work. The Wolf of Wall Street marks their 5th collaboration. All five (Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island and Wolf of Wall Street) are Oscar-worthy material from both.

The greedier Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio) becomes, the more interesting this film is. This is not for the faint hearted or easily offended; this is a blockbuster that packs a lot of punch. Sex, drugs and rock n' roll dominate from the start. It takes a fast paced epic that see the rise (and eventually fall) of a young cub turn wolf.

Jordan's first real job as a stockbroker lands him in Wall Street company L.F. Rothschild. His afternoon lunch with big boss Mark Hanna (McConaughey, who is undeniably funny) is intuitive and crazy. This is where the adventure begins. He learns a lot about the stock market, that everything is 'fugazi', snorting cocaine is a must and 'jerking off at least twice a day' relaxes the mind. Last but not least, 'the name of the game... moving the money from the client's pocket to your pocket.'

Jordan meets Donnie Azhoff (Jonah Hill, who is absolutely brilliant) shortly after. When Donnie find out that Jordan makes over $70k a week, he quits his job and starts working for him. Then on October 19th, 1987, the market crashes (now none as Black Monday) and L.F Rothschild is the first to go under.

The then already 'Wolfie' Belfort joins a penny stock firm in Long Island. He manages to take over the establishment by impressing his co-worker schmucks that have less common sense than brains. Jordan hires old friends from Queens that will help him with his business (they mostly sell weed). As the establishment increases in revenue and popularity, the FBI start to question Jordan's actions.

You will, like myself, be surprised at how funny The Wolf of Wall Street is. Scorsese manages to keep what was great about the likes of Goodfellas and The Departed and add very dark comedy. The utterly ridiculous moments that will make you laugh take away the seriousness that would usually exist. Wall Street is not portrayed in a way that we might expect and it redundantly characterises drugs as the right thing to do. It exploits Wall Street in this fanatical way because the connotations behind stock-brokers are the complete opposite.

Take TWOWS for what it is, and you won't be disappointed. This is DiCaprio's finest performance since Inception, and if he doesn't win a well deserved Oscar for Best Actor (he missed out in 2004 for his leading role in The Aviator and in 2007 in Blood Diamond) then there will be an uproar (mainly from me).

Clocking up approximately three hours, it doesn't feel rushed. You'll be too busy wondering what shenanigans Jordan and his crew have in store for us than looking at your watch thinking it's going on for too long. One scene that stands out sees Jordan and Donnie tripping on some aged drugs that take effect after a long period of time.

Overview: TWOWS is an epic film to be taken lightly. If you can get past the dirt and filth, it'll impress. This is a tough year for the awards ceremonies, and this is likely to reap a fair few. Probably Scorsese's best work to date, at least with Leonardo DiCaprio.