Already receiving a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture (musical or comedy) and a nomination for a Writers Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, Scorsese’s controversial film The Wolf of Wall Street has shocked audiences across the globe.
With such a critically acclaimed director, Martin Scorsese, and perhaps one of the most talented actors in the film business, Leonardo DiCaprio, the film caught the attention of critics and fans alike. Nothing is more alluring than what goes on behind the closed doors on Wall Street, especially in the context of the recent fraud scandals. However, the three-hour-long film shows more drug abuse and objectification of women than it did business strategy.
Perhaps what was so horrifying was how badly the main character, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), and his co-workers wanted to make money and become the richest people in the country at the expense of others. The film makes the audience understand why these men want to make money and create a better life for themselves. After all, isn’t that the American Dream? Yet, Jordan and his buddies scam innocent people, essentially taking money out of unsuspecting peoples’ pockets and putting it into their own. It seems that these power hungry workers face no consequences for their actions and continue to get high and spend endless amounts of money on strippers and prostitutes.
While Jordan Belfort commits so many inconceivable wrongdoings, we can’t help but fall under his spell. His charismatic leadership and haunting speeches bring his “people” to tears one minute and then to animalistic shouts of glory within seconds. DiCaprio’s acting during his speeches is phenomenal; I have never seen such a performance from him. He is able to embody this animalistic “wolfie” that tears apart the competition, as well as the compassionate leader who gives broke nobodies the chance to work for him. For some reason, DiCaprio’s acting leads us to root for him to get the beautiful blonde girl, even though he is cheating on his wife. When Belfort overdoses and cannot walk or speak properly, we are amused and eager to see what happens, rather than concerned.
As a woman, I could not have been more disturbed by the film, especially with the blatant abuse of women’s bodies and the scene in which Jordan rapes his own wife. In my opinion, it is hard to decipher whether this is what actually happens on Wall Street (there have been crazier things…) or if Scorsese is dramatically exaggerating the situation to bolster a specific reaction from the audience. One thing is for sure: a film that garners this much attention even weeks after its release proves that people throughout the world are intrigued by The Wolf of Wall Street.
Photo Sources:
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/thewolfofwallstreet/
http://www.davisenterprise.com/arts/the-wolf-of-wall-street-a-howling-disappointment/