Step aside DeNiro!
- The Wolf of Wall Street review by Milstead On Movies
Leonardo DiCaprio & Martin Scorsese have a brilliant collaboration going on which is beginning to rival the screen legend's partnership with the great director.
This is the fifth film which DiCaprio has worked with Scorsese, following Gangs Of New York, The Aviator, The Departed & Shutter Island.
The Wolf Of Wall Street amounts pretty much to Goodfellas of the financial world. Based on the true story of Jordan Bellfort, a drug-addicted, sex-addicted, money-addicted stockbroker who lives life to full excess and pays the penalty when the FBI investigate his wrongdoing and underhand tactics.
This black comedy is as black as they come with DiCaprio, Jonah Hill and co all playing unsympathetic characters who get rich making others poor, indulging in the lifestyles of rich and famous and taking an insane amount of drugs.
Although the characters are morally unpleasant, this film is absolutely hilarious with the characters suffering from their own greed and self-indulgence.
In another year, DiCaprio might have won the Best Actor Oscar for this performance (he lost out to Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club).
At nearly 3 hours, this film is a long slog and the first hour drags a little, but it's full steam ahead after that and a brilliant comedy of yuppie greed during the 1980's and 90's.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
I gave up
- The Wolf of Wall Street review by MS
Both salacious and tedious. The acting is good, but I didn't believe any of it. I gave up after an hour. And that was an hour too much.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
High octane!
- The Wolf of Wall Street review by TH
This film presses all the buttons in terms of sex, drugs and rock and roll (and lots of money!) but its psychopathic (almost exhausting to watch!) pace leaves you in no doubt that this is not a world in which you'd want to live in! Cleverly crafted modern fable.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
A tale of greed, sex and illegal drugs in 1980s New York
- The Wolf of Wall Street review by Philip in Paradiso
In 1987, Jordan Belfort (L Di Caprio) starts his career as a stockbroker on Wall Street. Having lost his job following Black Monday, he begins to work for a boiler-room brokerage firm on Long Island specialising in ‘penny stocks’. He is soon running his own, booming business, which makes him very rich; he has also become addicted to sex, prostitutes, and illegal drugs while indulging in non-stop partying.
Although a bit too long (over 2 hrs 45 mins), the film is very good and entertaining, with many hilariously funny scenes. It is a convincing depiction of the drug-fuelled world of stockbroking, at any rate at the time. L Di Caprio puts in a remarkably good performance as the sex-crazed spiv who is addicted to drugs, success and money.
The only thing that is missing from the movie is any sort of reflection as to the damage done to investors by such unscrupulous brokerage firms -- more particularly those dealing in so-called penny stocks, targeted at low-income investors. Then again, it is not that kind of film.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Gloriously offensive, drug-fuelled, depraved, fun-filled hilarious comedy!
- The Wolf of Wall Street review by PV
This film is just brilliant. It should have won Oscars, for sure. It's probably one of my favourite Scorcese movies now too.
No doubt some 'politically correct' people will find it offensive, as I heard some po-faced humourless feminist whinge-Wendy describe it as on the radio last year.
But really, it's a great ride. Funny and well-written script; great memorable characters; packed with action, searing, sex, drugs and money.
My only criticisms: 1) it's too long, like most Hollywood movies these days; 2) The alcoholic druggies look far too healthy - in real life, it ain't like that!
But these are minor quibbles.
In general, this movie is a hoot - and with a serious message too. I was surprised it was this good - I watched it the same evening as American Hustle, which is yawn-inducing in comparison.
The Wolf of Wall Street should perhaps have won the Oscar for Best Movie, (instead of the tedious up-itself Gravity), and won Leonardo one too for this bravura performance.
Just great - 5 stars with chasers!
One of the best films I have seen in the last decade.
1 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Men behaving badly
- The Wolf of Wall Street review by CP Customer
Martin Scorsese is here in his familiar comfort zone, which he has revisited with varying success, ever since the coup de cinema that was the opening scene of Mean Streets.
This time it’s a group of upstart boiler room scammers, flogging pump and dump stock to the poor, a group which burgeons and swells to some hundred salespeople, red in tooth and phone manner, and awash with illegal substances.
They make shed loads of money of course, and it all goes into the toilet of course, their greed and excess ensuring that there could be no other outcome. There’s lots and lots and lots of hysterical sex, and slightly less drug use, and what little rock and roll appears is provided by Robbie Robertson doing the sound track. The Quaaludes overdose scene is the funniest in the film, with DiCaprio proving that he can do physical comedy, and indeed, all the playing is exemplary.
The film is way too long at three hours- what was Ms Schoonmaker thinking? The sex scenes become a ludicrous parody of mainstream porn with unlovely boiler room sex addicts conducting orgy after orgy, and there were several points at which I almost lost interest but I stuck with it to the finish, partly through horrified fascination.
The film is based on a true story, so it had all the themes of the little guy bucking the system that Scorsese has returned to so often. But the thing is, the real wolves of Wall Street, and Main Street, and the high streets and village streets across the world are not cocky little bastards like Jordan Belfort. They’re the big guys and corporations who still rule the universe, however many financial crashes there may be, and they've not been reduced to touring New Zealand with a tacky sales success course. Did Marty miss a trick in not including them?
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Don't bother
- The Wolf of Wall Street review by AW
Oh dear. Surely Leonardo, as a talented actor, is not finding his roles are drying up?
How on earth this was even nominated, let alone won, two oscars is a shock.
Complete waste of time.
0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
great story
- The Wolf of Wall Street review by CP Customer
What a great film this was quite long but didn't drag one bit, how money and power corrupts and still happening today. Very well made and the acting was fantastic especially from Leonardo, a true story well told.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.
Top Dog
- The Wolf of Wall Street review by PT
Brilliant film. Nearly 3 hours of Scorcese genius. Beautifully crafted shots, superb montages, voice over, and the odd freeze frame, all familiar to Scorcese aficionados.
The acting is top drawer by Dicaprio and Hill. The scene when they drop lemons was astounding. Also a superb cameo by mcconaughey.
Great story at neck break speed. I didn't want it to end, and know I will watch it all again several times. And guys, let's be honest here, there's so many beautiful women, can't be bad. Fantastic.
0 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
forget this
- The Wolf of Wall Street review by Thom
I've never wrote a bad review, but I believe the time has come.
First thing first. HOW ON EARTH did this film win 2oscars. It was a waste of my eye time for two and a half hours. Did 'hollywood' just nominate it for the money it brought in from uneducated movie goers or was there a handsome fee paid to them.
My advice is move away from this borfest as quickly as you can and get straight to 'American Hustle' or 'Dallas Buyers Club'.
Honestly I saw George Clooneys Oscar nominated film and wasn't this angry.
TAT
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.