The Wolf of Wall Street

RATING: 8.5/10

One of the most celebrated actor-director collaborations in cinema is that of director Martin Scorcese and the beloved Oscar underdog Leonardo DiCaprio. They returned this year with their fifth production to date. “The Wolf of Wall Street” has been nominated for five Academy Awards, four BAFTAs and a Golden Globe for DiCaprio as the Best Actor in Motion Picture or Musical Comedy.
“The Wolf of Wall Street” tells the controversial tale of ex-Wall Streeter Jordan Belfort. The film portrays the rise of a wayward ambitious man in the world of stock broking and his journey from being a simple, modest newly-wed looking for his big break to being an arrogant, unfaithful, and dishonest Wall Street shark. It's a profound tale about rather simple characters. The movie begins with a cameo by another Oscar nominee Matthew McConaughey, who briefly plays a mentor to the young and impressionable Jordan Belfort, but unfortunately the organisation dissolves at Black Monday leading a now poor and jobless Belfort to work for a much smaller boiler room in Long Island selling penny stock.
This is where the movie kicks off as we see Belfort turn his apparent misfortune into a pedestal for his rise. Using his aggressive salesmanship and with a higher rate of commission with the stocks he sells, Jordan Belfort makes enough money to start a firm of his own called Stratton Oakmont. The firm would go on to amass a lot of money through scams and media attention would drive more employees there leading to its rise in the stock market, getting Belfort the name 'The Wolf Of Wall Street'.
The plot is quite straightforward yet meticulously built. The movie, despite being more or less a comedy, is on the darker side and portrays the ugliness of living the American Dream. It's full of memorable moments pulled off well by an able cast. The movie enthrals viewers with the screenplay and witty dialogue, but what sets it apart is DiCaprio's portrayal of Belfort. The movie has been adapted from the memoir of the real life Mr. Jordan Belfort. This is possibly DiCaprio's finest acting till date. The protagonist is one character I could simultaneously relate to, be inspired by and loathe at the same time. There is more to Jordan Belfort than just greed, debauchery, and 'swag'. He happens to be a leader who can look out for his own and chase his dreams simultaneously.
At some point of our lives, we all secretly want to be Jordan Belfort, to live a hard and fast lifestyle being remorseless and unapologetic. To be disdained and yet looked up to. Although “The Wolf of Wall Street” isn't one of Scorcese's greatest films, it still is quite a jewel in the legendary director's crown.