After seeing The Wolf of Wall Street and hearing what people have to say about it, one thing is for sure: opinion is divided. It’s a long film (almost three hours, so snacks are necessary), which may put people off; and, those three hours could be seen to be solely filled with a lot of sex, a lot of drugs, and investment banking rather than Rock n Roll (although, having seen the film, the lifestyle seems strangely similar).
There are two potential mindsets to view this film in and both should leave you walking away feeling satisfied. If you just want to see an intensely funny comedy following some investment bankers living out that stereotypical life – literally with a pile of blow and sex on airplanes – this is a film that you’ll love. However, if you also want that Scorsese experience of the intensity and real life drama that he brings to all his films, then you definitely won’t be disappointed. What this film means to the audience is entirely up to them.
It seems as though the film is really showcasing the breed of investment banker that can drive a national economy into the ground, or at least put a serious dent in it, and we can finally see what motivates these men – Jordan Belfort (the real-life Wolf of Wall Street) wasn’t driven by greed, but rather by success. He became so obsessed with success, as we see in one of the more emotional scenes of the film, that even when he’s cut a deal with the government over his illegal trading he can’t step down. He sees it as a failure. Obviously, though, it’s not as if Leonardo DiCaprio’s character doesn’t enjoy himself and his extraordinary earnings along the way.
HCX loved this film for so many reasons; primarily because of the phenomenal acting that can be seen in it. Leonardo DiCaprio, as always, was brilliant and in this film he showed such a broad range of skill: one minute you’re laughing uncontrollably at him crawling to his Lamborghini because he’s so high, and the next you’re seeing the man rip open a sofa cushion to find his last stash of cocaine when his wife announces she wants a divorce. Margot Robbie entirely held her own opposite DiCaprio and even gave a sense of daring in her scenes with her onscreen husband, especially in a certain scene involving a panty-less Robbie showing DiCaprio who’s boss.
Unsurprisingly, Jonah Hill really threw himself into his role and produced a stellar performance portraying one of the more unpleasant men in the cast. One of the best scenes, though, had to be the amazing coke-riddled, money-chanting cameo of Matthew McConaughey.
Finally, of course, Scorsese must get a mention. As Leonardo said when accepting a Golden Globe for his role, Martin Scorsese ‘put[s] the very fabric of our culture up on screen’, whether it’s in The Gangs of New York or producing Boardwalk Empire. This is certainly true when it comes to The Wolf of Wall Street. In an age where certain parts of the economy are dominated by investment banking, an understanding of its previous mistakes and eternal temptations are important and this is what Scorsese’s latest film does. Some people think that Scorsese has merely glamourised a world of illegality and debauchery but I can assure you, HCX readers, when I left the cinema I definitely wasn’t inspired to run off, join an investment bank and snort my weight in cocaine.
In the end, as mentioned before, this film can be enjoyed on so many levels. But, Her Campus Exeter definitely recommends you see this film, even if it’s just to see Leonardo DiCaprio’s beautiful bottom.
Quotation credits: digitalspy.co.uk
Picture credits: trailers.apple.com, chicagonow.com, wallstreetsurvivor.com, vulture.com