The Wolf Of Wall Street

It's hard to look away from Martin Scorsese's cautionary tale of greed, guts and Gecko-esque monologues. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jordan Belfort, a young, hungry stockbroker who, through a series of dodgy dealings, ascends Wall Street, conjuring up a small fortune for himself whilst hastily indulging in a life of hookers and blow. Those who've done their homework will know it's based on the real-life memoirs of the real-life Belfort (who also snags himself a cameo at the end of the movie, introducing DiCaprio at a seminar).

A lot of criticism has been aimed at the movie, the focus straying on how it, potentially, could be seen as glorifying Jordan Belfort's lifestyle and his dirty, aggressive methods. He sure has a lot of fun but I question whether any sane person would opt to live that way. He's got the money, a beautiful wife, a luxurious yacht yet he's never portrayed as a happy person - his bitterness and rage is released towards the end of the film in a shockingly visceral scene as he attempts to remove his daughter from his wife's care, with force. There's no glorifying of any kind there.

Many will draw comparisons with Scorsese's Goodfellas and, in truth, the two travel side-by-side for a considerable length. In both movies, there is little hint of a plot, but a tugging to go one way, as far as bad taste will possibly dictate, before highlighting the spectacular fall from grace. Both sets of characters are criminals, one group are gun-toting and maniacal, the other group pearly-white grins and, also, maniacal. There are no friends on Wall Street, a harsh fact but an understandable truth given the context, particularly in this movie. Jonah Hill takes on the role of Belfort's best friend, Donnie, once again proving that Moneyball was no illusion. He's as unhinged as Belfort and enjoys the lavish lifestyle, replicating as little remorse as possible - there's no time for sentimental reflection here, highlighted by Belfort's gung-ho decision to fight the FBI and continue making money when all good sense demands he step down, cut a deal and live off his millions. Belfort's deranged view: where's the fun in that? And so says Scorsese's audience.

The Wolf Of Wall Street is a good film, perhaps even a great one. Whether or not it'll stand the test of time and deserve utterance amongst the likes of Goodfellas, Taxi Driver and Raging Bull remains to be seen. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Scorsese movie that deals in such outrageous set-pieces and situations; it's definitely his funniest film though we're mostly laughing at Belfort, his senseless addictions and his habit of consuming and devastating everything around him. Scorsese deals in mindless excess here and many will raise an eyebrow at the movie's length (two hours, fifty-nine minutes), though it flows well, packed to the brim with twisted entertainment. It could have been condensed but when dealing with such outrageous source material, Scorsese was never liable to toe the line, he jumps head-on and encourages DiCaprio to the do the same (an Oscar with this guy's name on it is waiting down the line, though perhaps not this year), dealing out an unblinking performance, in terms of directing and acting. When the camera could choose to cut away, it doesn't (a trend that's becoming increasingly prevalent nowadays, thankfully), and like it, we, the audience, have the choice to look away but never do.

Whether you like it or not (and it's met a very stubborn disapproval amongst some circles), there is little morality to be found here. DiCaprio's on-screen charisma and hi-jinks are enough to anchor an audience onto his side though it's Scorsese who, after navigating us through a torrid series of depravity, is able to effortlessly remind us of who this man is behind the curtains.