The Wolf of Wall Street

Goodfellas 3?


Director: Martin Scorsese

Release Date: 2014

Rating: 18

Running Time: 180 mins

Genre: Biographic/ Drama

Actors: Leonardo Dicaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey

Martin Scorsese has once again created a film that can only be summed up in one way, absolutely despicable but fantastically entertaining. The amazing thing about Scorsese is the way that he's able to take real life criminals and transform them into Hollywood characters and being able to give us a real insight into the affairs that took place in these people's lives. Scorsese always says that, to him and his films, it is not the plot line that's important but rather the characters and the lives they've lived and it's clear when seeing his films, particularly his biopics, he wants to show us as much as he can in the most honest and rawest way, and that's why for me, he is such an incredible visionary and an immensely ambitious director. 

Needless to say that 'The Wolf of Wall Street' did not lack any controversy or outrageous scenes throughout and you can be spend the whole film watching it in both awe and disgust at what's gone on in these people's lives, through the events portrayed on the screen. Arguably 'The Wolf of Wall Street' could be referred to as 'Goodfellas 3', following on from 'Casino' in 1995, renamed by critics as 'Goodfellas 2'. Despite 'The Wolf of Wall Street' being a lot less violent than it's predecessors it certainly makes up for it in the amount of drugs, sex and scamming that takes place in the film. Arguably however, 'The Wolf of Wall Street' seems to make all of Scorsese's previous works look pretty tame and makes some of his characters like Henry Hill (Goodfellas) and Ace Rothstein (Casino) seem pretty sane and together sorts of people.  It's fair to say that this film is a story that will pretty much shock and appaul audiences everywhere, through the excessive drug use, sex orgies and lack of immorality and sanity from all the characters from start to finish. It's almost as though they live in another world to the average human being and are in many ways immortal, or at least that's what they think they are. Through the incredible direction and vast narrative spanning the best part of a decade we're able to see the incredible rise and fall of Jordan Belmont's real life, showing us just how unbelievable his life has been up to this point.

When we first see Jordan Belfort (Dicaprio) on our screens, he straight away expresses his love for drugs, sex and money and we immediately have our protagonist and villain laid out. As the film progresses we see Belfort and his incestuous best friend Donnie Azoff (Hill) together with a group of friends set up a stock market trade scamming people for 50% shares making them stupidly rich within a matter of months. As the group of brokers progress, their office and team expands massively until they are one of the richest companies in world leaving them with so much money they're stuck for ideas on how to spend it. Throughout the film we see the two engage in illegal deals, bribery, a ridiculous consummation of drugs and alcohol and engage in numerous affairs showing a severe lack of morality and care for their own health and well being.

The way that Scorsese has laid this film out, we see it made in typical Goodfellas/Casino style with over the top narration throughout and the constant breaking of the fourth wall, it's certainly a film that will stand out and stay with you for a long time like so many of his others have done. With the technology available now this film was so brilliantly created it makes me, in a sense, I wish Scorsese would  remake Goodfellas 25 years on in the same fashion due to the advance in film technology and ability to do so much more in terms of adventurous shots and cuts. It's fair to say 'The Wolf of Wall Street' is able to so cleverly bring Scorsese up to date with cinema and show audiences just how capable he is as a director.

As far as the directors films go, this is probably not one of his more tame ones and I would not recommend this one for the faint hearted, not so much for it's violent content, though that does feature, but much like his previous works, there are scenes that will put of quite a few audience members. In some senses it's funny seeing Marty make a film like this, particularly for a man of his age making a film all about characters divulging in mass sex and mass drug consumption, but looking at the film, it's hard to consider or even create a man better for the job and really it actually does makes perfect sense for Scorsese, doing what he's always done, making incredible films about incredible people and the unbelievable lives they've lead. I remember one particular scene we learn of a suicide that's taken place from one of the characters and I found a lot people around me all gasp simultaneously at both what they were seeing and hearing. Therefore I think it's fair to say that I wouldn't recommended this film to everyone and I think it's probably one that some Scorsese fans might be disappointed with, due to how it is quite different to his other films. But still I think it's one that's worth seeing and I would strongly recommend it, even if it's just out curiosity, it's still worth checking out, just maybe avoid seeing it with family members.

9/10