The Wolf of Wall Street Movie Review

Director: Martin Scorsese

UK Release Date: 17/01/2014

Running Time: 180 minutes

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Margot Robbie

The latest collaboration between Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio results in a powerful and exhilarating story based on the life of former stockbroker Jordan Belfort.  A story in which DiCaprio has been sitting on for years to take to the big screen.  With his long term mentor and friend Scorsese in the directing seat, this film sees the paramount of the two combined into a three hour film that is definitely worth a watch.  

DiCaprio combines with a great cast to bring the crazy and hectic ’high’ (and low) life of Belfort to the public eye. It certainly earns its 18 age rating with an abundance of drug taking, sex and some violence which at one point had the audience shocked.  However, the film produced laughs and great entertainment to all who were watching throughout.   

DiCaprio has again showed his artillery of acting skills to play a character that as an audience we have not seen him play before and is very deserving of the nominations he has received for the role.  This also goes for Jonah Hill - who again, like in Moneyball (2011), has proved that he is more than just a comedy actor and can hold a serious role, delivering a top class performance worthy of the nominations for Best Supporting Actor that he has received.  The rest of the cast also pull their weight with Margot Robbie showing she is no pushover in her first film of this magnitude in the lead female role. 

Concern has been highlighted in the press that the film glamorizes the taboo subject of drug use.  This has been defended by Scorsese and DiCaprio who argue that it makes the film more authentic.  It is true that excessive drug use is shown in the film but to say it glamorizes or condones it, is a different matter and challenges the concept of the film.  DiCaprio set out to create a representation of Belfort's memoirs and this is how himself, Scorsese and the production team have interpreted the text and adapted it for film.   

It is without doubt a film that warrants the three hour run time and even after that you will be left pining for more.  The films offers powerful performances, quick and witty laughs along with sincere emotion that makes it an all-round hit.  The Wolf of Wall Street looks likely to be one of the best collaborations between Scorsese and DiCaprio and is certainly a film not to be missed viewing this year. 

M+F Rating: 9/10

Reviewed by M+F Reviews