The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) Movie Review

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (2013) MOVIE REVIEW

Remember how I said Prisoners was my favourite film of 2013? Well that may now have some serious competition. 

Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, this film follows him and his company through crime, corruption and his rise to the top and his descent to the absolute bottom. One of the things that managed to keep this film going is the fact that this ludicrous film is actually based on true events. This is made even more apparent when multiple times in the film, Jordan and his friends manage to get away with doing some of the most graphic acts ever put onto the big screen. Another thing that I absolutely loved in this film was the overall set-up in which Jordan is  a simple and honest man wanting to make a living, and then in a matter of days, he is corrupted by his peers and is suddenly the biggest name in the Wall Street game, hence his nickname "The Wolf of Wall Street". Anyhow, the story in this film was by far the most ridiculous and best one I have seen in a while and even with it's hilarity, it managed to keep me intrigued, even throughout the entire three hour run time. 

Still of Margot Robbie and Leonardo DiCaprio

As I said before, this film is based of the best-selling book of the same name, which in itself is the true story of Jordan Belfort and his successful life at the top of Wall Street. This obviously means that this film has alot of work to do in order to make it as reliable to the source material as it can, though in many cases, this film managed to be one of a kind. This is mainly due to the fact that many of the acts performed in the movie are just so ludicrously hilarious and reckless that you wouldn't expect a sane person to even consider performing these actions. For example, there is one scene where Jordan and Donnie take a dose of these tablets which say to be incredibly stronger than your average drug. Anyhow, upon taking it, they feel nothing at all though several hours later, the acts that these drugs make them do is just something you wouldn't expect to see in a movie nowadays. This is also one of the many things I loved about this film, which is the fact that the film knows exactly what it is. A ridiculous and incredibly crude film, which is exactly how it is marketed. If I were the average movie-goer and saw that it was a drama, I wouldn't be as excited for it. But the marketing team really did play their cards right in realising that a three hour film like this isn't supposed to be taken too seriously. Speaking of three hours, I actually thought that this was going to be one of the things I despised about the movie though in retrospect, it was actually one of the things I loved about the film as I had no idea when the film was going to end as there were several moments where it looked like it was going to end, but it just kept on going. And for a film like this, that is never a bad thing. 

Still of Jonah Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio

As for the acting, I mean....what else can I say but just no short of perfect. Throughout the film, I was attempting to pick out a weak actor/actress in the film and believe me when I say this, I just couldn't. Every single actor, whether big or small, managed to play their roles up perfectly. Leonardo DiCaprio in this film, in my opinion, it is without question his best performance he has ever graced us with. Seriously, if he doesn't win an Oscar for his role this year, there will be multiple riots within minutes. His character was just so fast talking and he just managed to make a serious moment so hilarious, like when he is more or less overdosing and he is just making the most ridiculous noises and faces, I honestly felt bad for laughing. Or maybe shouldn't have, I dunno, either way, it was phenomenal acting on his part. As for Jonah Hill as Jordan's best friend Donnie, he was also great in the film though I felt he should have stood out to me more as an actor, though he just didn't. Though I will give him the benefit as when most of his scenes consist of him and DiCaprio, it is extremely hard to hold your own. Others who stood out to me was actually minor roles in the film, these included Matthew McConaughey's small though significant role as Jordan's mentor and friend Mark Hanna. In his short though impacting scene, he had alot of energy and more or less set up for the entire movie. Others who stood out also include Jon Bernthal as Brad, who I actually really liked as both an actor and character as he was just the kind of guy that doesn't care about the money and more about the loyalty of his friends, oh and could also kick your ass if needed. Lastly, the final stand out for me at least was relatively well known actor Jean Dujarin as Jean Jacques Saurel who I also liked as an actor and character as he is more the foreign businessman who is a dick and is very fast talking, and he also seemed to be the polar opposite of Jordan at times which I loved. Overall, the acting was almost perfect if not for the sheer fact that I believe that nothing is perfect. 

Still of Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie and
Jon Bernthal

Overall, The Wolf of Wall Street is without question one of the best films I have seen in a long time and it has made me realise that films like this only come around once in a very long time.

OVERALL: 9.3/10