Review of The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) by Sophan P — 15 Jan 2016
Never in a million years would I have imagined I'd feel the urge to walk out of a Scorcese film (Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Goodfellas and Casino are in my pantheon). But two hours into this triple-decker of drug-fueled orgies, bombastic speeches and head-scratching subplots and I was checking the time with the manic fury DiCaprio's Jordan Belfort unleashes when closing a sale.
This film is all about excess and given the financial crisis of the last few years, should be timely material. But it's not, it doesn't seriously tackle institutionalized corruption the way more mature works like Margin Call or even Wall Street do. Di Caprios amps up.
the saliva-spewing bravado but he doesn't quite match Michael Douglas' dapper sliminess as Gordon Gecko.
The only real bright spot of this film is Margo Robbie's thankless turn as Belfort's Brooklyn-raised wife. Matthew MaConaughey continues his hot streak in a brief but zany and fun role as well. All in all, I'm happy to see Marty Scorcese doing work at his ripe old age of 71, but what he creates here is a several leagues below his best stuff.
This review of The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) was written by Sophan P on 15 Jan 2016.
The Wolf of Wall Street has generally received very positive reviews.
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