The Wolf of Wall Street

TheWolfofWallStreet-200

Funny, intense, crazy, quick and smart as hell, thanks to a brilliant script based on an incredible true story, headed by a brilliant director, lead and support cast. People, this is as good as cinema gets.

I might be getting ahead of myself, but I’d go as far to say The Wolf of Wall Street is the Goodfellas of our time. This is the film we’ll look back on as a cult masterpiece in 20 years.

In that respect, I can’t believe people had such a problem with the film. It doesn’t glorify crime any more than classics like Scarface or Casino. It’s still got all the drugs and sex; it just replaces mob violence with white collar fraud. People really need to get a life.

Apart from The Departed, this is Martin Scorcese’s best film in years. He is very much at the top of his game, and it’s no wonder why Leonardo DiCaprio is his modern-day DeNiro. The two of them have created something truly unique here.

After winning the best actor Golden Globe last week, I can confidently say DiCaprio deserves all the accolades he gets. Matthew McConaughey may have lost 50 pounds for Dallas Buyers Club but his performance is not even in the same league. I’m banking he’ll take home the Oscar as well.

As the real life fraudulent broker, Jordan Belfort (who wrote the book based on his own life), DiCaprio possesses the likable schoolboy charm that made him so charismatic, but isn’t afraid to explore the very ugly side of greed and heavy drug abuse.

There are a handful of scenes in particular that showcase DiCaprio’s extraordinary performance – whether he’s breaking the fourth wall, delivering motivational speeches, showboating in front of federal police, arguing with his wife or losing his mind and basic motor skills on drugs.

The worst thing about this film is the length, which really does seem to be a reoccurring problem lately. At an epic 180 minutes, The Wolf of Wall Street is the longest of the Australia’s summer releases, topping The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug at 161 minutes and American Hustle at 138 minutes.

Still, it’s hard to choose what you’d cut if you had the chance – the best parts are so random, but still serve well at demonstrating the ridiculous lifestyles these guys were living. It will make you want to don a suit and party.

I can understand this kind of thing isn’t for everyone and may even be misinterpreted by the wrong people, but for fans of Scorsese’s earlier films this is the best thing you’ll see in years.

The Wolf of Wall Street will be released nationally on 23rd January 2014.

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