Rant and Rave: The Wolf of Wall Street

People love Leo DiCaprio. His elusive persona, the grandiose characters he portrays on the big screen, the charm so unique wannabe actors follow suit – the Internet has translated their adoration for DiCaprio in memes that address the Oscar snubs the actor has experienced throughout his illustrious career. With the Academy Award snub for Django Unchained, people cried foul and laughed at the same time because what will it take for the Academy to give him an Oscar already?

In the controversial opus of Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio portrayed Jordan Belfort, a Wall Street stockbroker who was innocent and doe-eyed like any other rookie on the biz, then quickly rose to fame and notoriety for his swindling and manipulation of the stock market. For three hours, DiCaprio hosted a circus-like show that was filled with debauchery and profanity some may call “a picture show of sin” and “irresponsible and gratuitous”. An “R” rating was guaranteed for a movie filled with nude women, drug consumption and vulgarities, but the winning chemistry of Scorsese and DiCaprio turned the taboos of society into a thinking man’s picture of what it’s like to have greed run in the veins and brain cells of a stockbroker hell bent on wanting more.

During the entire run, Leonardo’s narration of the story helped propel the film into an art piece, something so self-aware that it would give House of Cards and Community a run for its money. The entirety of the film also makes use of Leo’s swagger as an actor not afraid of taking chances; one particular scene involving some impotent drugs was enough to say that his craft is improving and it is evolving for the betterment of cinema.

Boardwalk Empire’s Terence Winter adapted the screenplay from the best-selling memoir of Jordan Belfort, and unsurprisingly, it was not the weak link of the film. To measure the film’s arrogance, one has to look for the dialogue that empowers DiCaprio to give it his all. Like a narcissistic frat boy, the strength of the screenplay comes from the honesty of how Jordan Belfort sees the world – his oyster, his possession, his own game.

To ensure “quality” the Academy looks for, the film makes use of a genius ensemble of actors with Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie and Kyle Chandler lead. With Kyle Chandler’s FBI agent Patrick Denham, the viewer is accompanied by a sense of morality and a Lifebuoy of security that one does not have the guts to commit the sins shown in the film, and, yet, the film ridicules the audiences by emphasizing the lack of power and courage one has to follow suit. Accomplices like Jonah Hill and Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead) made the zoo crazier with their antics that proved how deranged the characters were, in terms of their search for wealth and power.

If the audience thought that the film was testosterone-driven, Margot Robbie (Pan Am) and Cristin Milioti (Once) proved that women run the lives of the men in the Scorsese tale. Milioti’s turn as Belfort’s first wife helped solidify the theme of morality in the film as she symbolized how people will react to the way Belfort got away with everything: disgust, shame and regret. Robbie, on the other hand, was the epitome of beauty and lust in the film, but provided a near impeccable performance as the loving second wife who just wanted security by the second act. This brings into question the lengths people go to for the sweet taste of success (or Oscar gold).

Many questioned the morality meter of The Wolf Of Wall Street because it felt appalling and too much in some places. Critics blasted the film for being “gratuitous”, asking if it was even art in the first place. It would be easy to say that the film was showing how one man’s greed could implicate innocent people and it did make the audience, somewhat, an accessory to the crimes committed.

The real punch to the gut would be the speculation that the audience was swindled literally and figuratively. Some misunderstood the message of the film, quoting it as “standoffish”, “cocky” and “immature”. The film, however, made sure that it is pulling all the stops to show the reality of swindling and being a con man. The glamor part involves Belfort’s eventual downfall, a plot point that humanized him even if DiCaprio was playing him.

Only time will tell if people will accept the bearing of the message Wolf has for its audiences. After all, films like Bonnie And Clyde and A Clockwork Orange were considered controversial before, but the impact on the different genres of cinema can still be felt today. By that time, people will see Leo in his finest form, one that deserves an Oscar even without one.

Rating: 4.0/4.0