After watching The Wolf Of Wall Street, I think I can say I’ve seen it all. You name it, this film has it; from fight scenes to sex scenes to drug use to more swear words than I even knew existed, it’s a fast-paced adrenaline rush from scene one. As for the expletives, I’ll give you a hint: this film has the most uses of the word ‘f**k’ in a narrative film, with the total a whopping 569. Definitely not one to see with your parents.
The story centres on the wealthy stockbroker Jordon Belfort, played by the never-disappointing Leonardo DiCaprio and his rise through the fame and fortune of Wall Street. DiCaprio brings depth and insight to his character and real life to the film, and his breaking of the fourth wall to talk to the audience in particular really draws the viewer in. His deceivingly bumbling sidekick Donnie Azoff is played by comedy favourite Jonah Hill, who aside from usual silly and goofy moments, brings a serious side to the occasionally serious and sinister Azoff. Other members of the cast include rom-com favourite Matthew McConaughey (here playing a foul-mouthed cut-throat stock broker) and the ever-glamorous Joanna Lumley, to name a few. A host of fairly new actors also make an appearance, such as Margot Robbie (who plays Belfort’s second wife), Kyle Chandler (playing a FBI agent) and Jon Bernthal. It is an amazingly well-cast film, with a good enough mix of known and unknown actors to allow the viewer to get lost in the action and drama. I’m firmly of the belief that if DiCaprio doesn’t win an Oscar for this, there will be riots in the streets of Los Angeles.
Martin Scorcese’s direction in the film also does not disappoint. It’s not hard to see why he’s recently been nominated for an Oscar for his outstanding directing. The chop-and-change camera style and Belfort’s constant asides to the audience really captivate the viewer’s attention and give a good insight into the character’s motivation and thinking. Terence Winter’s incredible writing skill is obvious in the insane dialogue, although the genius is sometimes masked by the amount of expletives per sentence.
The only criticism I have of this film (though minor) is its length. At nearly three hours long, it is a lot to take in at once, and you do start to wonder when it’s going to end after a while. While this shouldn’t stop you from going to watch the film, I’d recommend wearing comfy clothes and you’re going to be in the cinema for a while. All in the all, I would say The Wolf of Wall Street is a must-watch this year, especially considering its five Oscar nominations and Golden Globe win. Whether you’re there for the comedy (and there a lot of moments where you’re literally laughing out loud), the drama or the acting, there’s something to entertain everyone. If that’s not enough reason, it might be worth going just to say you’ve seen the film that Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar for.
