Movie review: The Wolf Of Wall Street
Genre: Black comedy
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio
Running time: 179 minutes
Ever since the financial crisis of 2008 that almost saw the world’s economic systems go up in flames, Hollywood started to produce an array of movies in which bankers/ financiers are not painted in the greatest light. The Wolf Of Wall Street is another addition to this influx of productions.
The movie is based on the memoirs of Jordan Belfort, a New York stock exchange broker that was involved in securities fraud and corruption in the late 1990s. Directed by Martin Scorsese, the movie stars Leonardo Dicaprio as Belfort, a Wall Street broker, who makes a fortune selling penny stocks.
Belfort is a newly qualified broker when one of the biggest market crashes occurs in 1987. He is forced to take up a job dealing in penny (semi worthless) stocks for large amounts of commission. The venture proves to be successful and he decides to open up his own firm with his neighbour, Donnie Azoff (Jonah hill). The duo use unscrupulous tactics and high pressure marketing to sell stocks to unsuspecting victims for huge piles of cash. As the money come in, so does the lifestyle become excessive. We are talking cocaine, prostitutes, boat trips and generally all sorts of recklessness. Of course, it is not long before the criminals draw attention to themselves from the law.
The movie is actually hilarious and has to be Scorsese’s most hilarious movie. It shares a lot of similarities with his other classics Good Fellas and Casino. Definitely worth anybody’s time.
