The Wolf of Wall Street

There are some films that are released, acclaimed and then quickly forgotten for the most part.

“The Wolf of Wall Street” is not one of these films.

No, it’s a film I’ll remember until the day I die as one of the most over-the-top, ridiculously obscene, quaaluded-out roller coasters I’ve ever ridden at the cinema.
Never in my adult lifetime have I seen a movie hit theatres that’s such an overindulgent trip into the deepest bowels of hedonism.

America’s sweetheart Leonardo DiCaprio, in a Golden Globe-winning role — in one of the hardest “Best Actor” camps in years, mind you — plays the part of real-world antihero Jordan Belfort, a stock-broking executive who goes from selling penny stocks outside of the city to being a Forbes feature spread with more money than God .

“The Wolf of Wall Street” tracks Belfort as he progresses through his career, starting as a bright-eyed yuppie in a big pond , mentored by a coke-bumping sailor-mouthed Matthew McConaughey  in rare form — some outstanding acting for the few minutes he’s onscreen.

From there Belfort moves up, loses his job in the Wall Street crash, starts back up from the bottom at a small penny stock brokerage, then leaves to make his own firm with Donnie Azoff , played by an impeccable Jonah Hill  in one of the best of his career and some other cronies.

Belfort’s firm Stratton Oakmont  grows and grows, and Belfort remarries to Naomi , a breakout Margot Robbie, while continuing to swindle millions of dollars from unwitting investors to use for his own personal extravagance.

In every stroke of this masterpiece, you feel the full weight of director Martin
Scorsese’s  genius. Pacing this 180-minute  epic at breakneck speed, the 71-year-old director  is at the top of his game — brilliant directing choices as large as setting a tone that perfectly reflects Belfort’s ridiculous lifestyle of lavish and luxury to something as small as a shot of Belfort’s supercar zipping down the highway, changing colors as it zooms by to go along with Belfort’s narration. And I haven’t been this giddy watching an actor break the fourth wall since Kevin Spacey on “House of Cards.”  Scorsese takes big risks and gets even bigger victories.

A Christmas Day release , “The Wolf of Wall Street” has an acidity that cuts through the fluff of today’s cinema.

It doesn’t pretend to bash Belfort. It glorifies him. We get to delve deeply into Belfort, played brilliantly by DiCaprio as a man with no moral compass and a love of money over literally everything, as he goes on drug binges, has sex with hookers and steals millions of dollars. He never has to answer for his sins, and we have fun with it.

That’s one of the reasons, among many, “The Wolf of Wall Street” is truly one of the best films of 2013.

It’s unapologetically filthy. It makes us introspect like few films do — are we jealous of Belfort? Are we really enjoying this?

Quality art makes us examine our society, our wants, our conscience and ourselves.

In a year of absolutely phenomenal cinema, “The Wolf of Wall Street” is definitely the most fun you’ll have at theaters this season, a legitimate cinematic achievement for the ages.