The Wolf of Wall Street

Martin Scorsese - making jackasses seem likeable since the 1970s

                                                                          FINISH HIM

DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese

CAST: Jay Gatsby, Peter Brand, your new female obsession, that actor who used to be shit but is now really good, Hamilton Jordan, Shane from The Walking Dead, The Artist, the bloke who directed Iron Man, the bloke who directed Being John Malkovich, Eli from Boardwalk Empire and a fuck tonne of actors whose faces you will recognise with names you can't recall...

PLOT: Based on the life of the real wolf of wall street, Jordan Belfort, we watch his rise and fall as a charismatic, hilarious, drug-addicted, crooked stockbroker who stood up against the FBI, the forces of nature and the Swiss...

Martin Scorsese has a true talent in making his audience root for dickheads. Over the years he's manipulated us to fall in love with gangsters, murderers, loners and annoying kids that live in train stations, and he's managed to do no less with his latest offering, The Wolf of Wall Street, based on the memoirs from the real person. 

Right from the get-go we have to hold on tight in order not to fall off the bat-shit crazy rollercoaster that takes in copious amounts of drugs, alcohol, hookers and enough money to make your average Premier League footballer feel inadequate. We should hate this man, this physical embodiment of capitalism, who capitalises on other people's misery and shortcomings by only having one thing on his mind - making money - and to top it all off, doing absolutely nothing good with it apart from blowing it all on boats that can fit other boats inside of it and houses that could do the same.

But we do, and this is all down to Scorsese and Terence Winter, scribe of the film who's most famous for penning HBO's Boardwalk Empire. Scorsese's lightning-paced narrative that flies through a large portion of Belfort's life never gives us a moment to think in hindsight about how much of a repugnant man he is, despite the fact that it is three hours long, it never once seems to drag (prepare yourselves for a 4 hour cut that is reportedly to be released on DVD). Combined with Winter's witty and outrageous script that delivers some of the funniest dialogue imaginable, this is black comedy at its finest that gives a new meaning to 'cerebral palsy'.

                                                    Human bumblebee is displeased

But even Scorsese and Winter can't make a man who throws dwarfs around for fun someone who we want to spend time with for three hours. They need some help. And who else better to ask for help than a cast that can joke and charm their way into cinema history?

Leonardo DiCaprio may not win that Academy Award that he's been waiting so long for due to the fact that he plays a bastard, but he will go down as one of the most iconic characters in film. Love him or hate him, DiCaprio is stunningly realistic as Belfort - a likeable actor who oozes charisma and can get away with bad things much to the viewers glee. He doesn't quite have to descend to the emotional lows as his fellow nominees this awards season, but that shouldn't take anything away from this performance. DiCaprio does comedy as well as anyone. 

However, there are plenty of on screen supporters who almost takes the limelight away from the wolf, namely Jonah Hill as Belfort's partner, Donnie Azoff, who often comes across as even more of a cock than Belfort does. Hill's transformation, with his absurd hair and teeth, may have accepted low pay (in Hollywood standards, at least) for a chance to work with Scorsese, but after this he has once again proved that he is one of the most consistent and flexible actors working today, managing to balance comedy and drama perfectly, and not for the first time. 

The Wolf of Wall Street isn't your usual Oscar bait - it's far too crude and at times, downright disgusting, for any big wins. But judging by the fact that it's still selling out in cinemas nationwide weeks after release, Scorsese and company will be pleased that it will be many people's favourite this awards season, even if they don't receive a self-celebratory trophy for it.

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