The Wolf of Wall Street: A Riotous Bacchanal

The opening scenes of The Wolf of Wall Street feature a bunch of coked-up stockbrokers taking bets on a game in which they toss dwarves onto a target. That tells you everything you need to know about how the next three hours are going to play out.

Based on a true story, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker who starts out in a lowly position on Wall Street and proceeds to use his greed and ambition to build an empire. By selling garbage stocks to gullible investors and engaging in all manner of shady deals, he quickly amasses millions for himself and his employees, many of whom are old childhood friends. As Jordan's wealth grows, so does his ego (which was pretty massive to begin with) and he embarks on massive coke-fueled orgies, popping Quaaludes like candy, and treating his staff to a parade of hookers, booze, and other esoteric entertainments, like the aforementioned dwarves.

This is Scorsese's longest film to date, and the reason is that he presents lengthy scenes where the characters are allowed to deliver intense, hilarious monologues that highlight the excesses of the Wall Street lifestyle. Belfort delivers impassioned speeches to motivate his employees and is a dangerously depraved maniac throughout. You'll be astounded by DiCaprio's physical comedy skills in one scene when Belfort is knocked out by some particularly potent Quaaludes. Jonah Hill, who plays his right-hand man, Donnie Azoff, is equally hysterical, reveling in his wealth and utterly oblivious to any twinges of morality. And Margot Robbie, who plays Jordan's second wife, Naomi, does a wonderful job portraying a woman who marries Jordan precisely for his opulence and gradually begins to experience its dark side. This cast is going all out to replicate the hedonistic mess that this man created in the 90s, and Scorsese has filmed a cinematic assault on the senses that will leave you reeling.

At the beginning, Matthew McConaughey has an Oscar-worthy cameo that quickly sets the comic tone. The Wolf of Wall Street is marvelously entertaining and debaucherous, yet the actual story is tragic. Here's another greedy, unscrupulous man who willfully defrauded thousands of people and lived like a king off his ill-gotten gains. And as you can imagine, his punishment is less than adequate. At the end, you can't help feeling sickened at the glorification of such abject criminals. Sadly, Wall Street stockbrokers will watch this movie and see Jordan Belfort as their hero. While the rest of us just stare at our screens in horror.