Cinemablography@gmail.com
Cinemablography
  • Home
  • About
  • Journal
    • Existentialism in Film >
      • The Existential Philosophy of Melancholia
      • The Philosophy of Camus in The Dead Don't Die
      • The Existentialist Subtext of Dear Evan Hansen
      • An Existentialist Reading of "The Turin Horse"
    • A Woman's Perspective: Gender, and Identity in the Romanian New Wave
    • Film Theory Issue 1
    • Film Theory Issue 2
    • Science Fiction
    • Science Fiction Issue 2
    • Pan's Labyrinth
    • Kathryn Bigelow >
      • Opening Scene
      • Supermarket Scene
      • Round Table Discussion
  • Blog
  • Articles by Category
  • Contributors
  • Videographic Essays
  • Our Work
    • Links

More is Never Enough: A Review on The Wolf of Wall Street

2/18/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Michael Hoffman
            Over the course of his vast and prolific career, Martin Scorsese has always shown an interest in portraying the debauched American anti-hero. In Scorsese’s latest work, The Wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) plays this amoral role as a swindling, exploitative stockbroker. Although greed and the pursuit of power are common themes in the work of Scorsese, this message might never be as profoundly clear as it is in The Wolf of Wall Street, where the true story of Belfort forces viewers to consider the destructive nature of capitalist excess.

            Adapted by screenwriter Terence Winter from the personal memoir of Jordan Belfort, The Wolf of Wall Street indicates that when Belfort first attempted to establish himself on Wall Street, he did so in a more traditional and honest manner. However, Belfort’s twisted boss, Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey), quickly dismisses and distorts any notion of pursuing a morally just path to success and convinces Belfort that drugs, sex, and greed are a necessity to prosper on Wall Street. After being laid off during the market crash of 1987, Belfort takes Hanna’s advice to heart and starts his own “chop shop” brokerage in a converted garage, ripping off people by selling them unregulated penny stocks over the phone. Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) joins Belfort in this business venture early on and quickly becomes Belfort’s right hand man, as well as his wingman in their unending conquest of money, drugs, and prostitutes. By giving their business an old money name, Stratton Oakmont, Belfort and his employees gain the confidence of higher income investors, and through “pump and dump” operations, they find ways of turning enormous profits.

              Ultimately, the presentation of their savage pursuit of money and power is where the film truly succeeds. In the earlier scene with Hanna, there is one point where he thumps a drum pattern on his chest while humming along. Eventually this becomes the anthem of Belfort’s firm and largely operates as a tribal, barbaric song for the ruthless pursuit of more material goods, revealing the central premise of the film that more is never enough. In addition, it provides depth to the animalistic nickname of “the Wolf” that Belfort is given. However, despite being a rather corrupt and menacing businessman, DiCaprio’s performance and witty narration as Belfort makes him an oddly likable scoundrel. Furthermore, the stylistic inclusion of narration naturally brings to mind Scorsese’s earlier films, Goodfellas and Casino. But whereas each of these earlier pieces made use of mild distancing through the narration, in The Wolf of Wall Street, we are always right in the thick of things, which yields a suffocating effect that quickens the pace of the film and enhances our understanding of the chaotic lifestyle that Belfort and his staff embraced.

            Aided by excellent acting from DiCaprio, we truly see how warped Belfort’s mentality becomes from his pursuit of capitalist excess. In one scene, Belfort talks about a depressed employee who killed himself, but quickly moves onto another topic. In another scene, Belfort explains how the brokers classified prostitutes by cost and attractiveness, referring to them as “blue chips,” “NASDAQs,” and “pink sheets.” Nevertheless, through DiCaprio’s eccentric performance, we are largely blinded to how squalid the majority of The Wolf of Wall Street actually is.

            Although Scorsese is now in his early 70s, The Wolf of Wall Street feels very much like a younger man’s film. While the three hour long film does tend to drag at moments, I still believe that the film’s intended depiction of capitalist addiction resounds quite strongly. By the film’s end, even though Belfort is removed from his position at Stratton Oakmont, he doesn’t seem to show any sort of remorse for his unethical actions. Instead, Belfort becomes a motivational speaker that seeks to sell the “American Dream.” Through this ending, we are forced to evaluate our own views on capitalism and really question greed in America. Overall, given the film’s strong acting, excellent directing, and relentless storytelling, it seems quite evident that Scorsese is still capable of producing great movies, furthering his legacy as one of America’s finest directors of all time.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.