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Rating: Q=7, P=7 / Obsession
Scale 1=3, Scale 2=4, Scale 3=4, Scale 4=3
Dark Comedy, Power, Business, White Collar Crime
What can I say, Martin Scorsese. You are a brilliant man. Thank you for this film.
Some people told me to watch out because this film is too obscene OR it depicts awfulness on top of awfulness OR it is just too much. Wait a minute, I thought. Isn't that exactly what it should be? On the surface, this story is about getting too much money, having too much money, and then getting caught. A typical crime story, right? But it isn't. Usually we see the victims of the crimes and attach ourselves to a "good guy" who will make everything right. Not in Wolf of Wall Street. Was there a character in this film that I would have actually liked in real life? I don't think so. Sure, there is definite charm to Jordan because he believes he is good and he is suave, savvy, and motivating. But this is performance. Everything is performance, from his suits and speeches to designer yacht parties and drug-induced shenanigans. Because image is the most important thing, to Jordan, and image is the way he gains power. Even if he is still a shell protecting very little. And that is fascinating. Scorsese focuses on him and his world exclusively with brilliant psychological and philosophical results. I would add the phrase, "if you look deeper than the surface," but that doesn't quite work this time... you know what I mean...
--Don't understand the ratings? Click here
Some people told me to watch out because this film is too obscene OR it depicts awfulness on top of awfulness OR it is just too much. Wait a minute, I thought. Isn't that exactly what it should be? On the surface, this story is about getting too much money, having too much money, and then getting caught. A typical crime story, right? But it isn't. Usually we see the victims of the crimes and attach ourselves to a "good guy" who will make everything right. Not in Wolf of Wall Street. Was there a character in this film that I would have actually liked in real life? I don't think so. Sure, there is definite charm to Jordan because he believes he is good and he is suave, savvy, and motivating. But this is performance. Everything is performance, from his suits and speeches to designer yacht parties and drug-induced shenanigans. Because image is the most important thing, to Jordan, and image is the way he gains power. Even if he is still a shell protecting very little. And that is fascinating. Scorsese focuses on him and his world exclusively with brilliant psychological and philosophical results. I would add the phrase, "if you look deeper than the surface," but that doesn't quite work this time... you know what I mean...
--Don't understand the ratings? Click here
