"Wolf Of Wall Street" at Durham Library Thursday

Movie Notes by Don Bourret

The Wolf Of Wall Street

The Wolf Of Wall Street is a three-hour chronicle of depravity and corruption, at times hilarious, at times nauseating, often infuriating, most of the time fascinating, much like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Directed by Martin Scorcese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, it is derived from true events over a five–year span in the late 80’s in the life of Jordan Belfort. Belfort was a Wall Street “entrepreneur” who founded the investment firm Stratton Oakmont and then proceeded to break all the legal and conventional rules of stock trading (e.g., pushing IPOs he secretly owned). He and his traders amassed enormous fortunes until their shenanigans began to unravel and everyone started to turn on one other, with Belfort eventually doing a stretch in the slammer. He wrote a book about those bacchanalian years, which inspired this film.

Belfort is intended to be emblematic of the widespread dishonesty and immorality that inexorably led to the “crash” that we still are trying to pull out of. One fact is made dramatically clear: these traders’ only goal was earning huge commissions and their clients’ interests were not even on the radar.

Scorcese unflinchingly captures all the corruption and depravity, stuffing his film with rampant profanity, graphic sexual situations, amoral characters, orgies, ceaseless drug use and pretty much perpetual debauchery. There is a comedic pitch to all of this, sort of like a dirty black comedy. Some scenes seemed actually hilarious, as when a handful of “vintage” Quaaludes had Belfort floundering about a country club like a beached whale, until I started feeling foolish for thinking these silly antics were funny.

This is brilliant filmmaking in many ways, and it earned Scorcese a deserved Oscar nomination. DiCaprio inhabits his role with religious-like intensity, maniacal, irreverent and very, very funny; and he deserved his Oscar nomination also. The film also was nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay; and Jonah Hill was nominated for Best Supporting Actor as Belfort’s slimy partner. There were no wins however. The film also is stacked with celebrated supporting actors: Matthew McConaughey (Best Actor, Dallas Buyers Club; Jean Desjardin (Best Actor, The Artist), Director Rob Reiner.

The film is a wild carnival ride of excessive behavior. But there is a problem with a three-hour chronicle of excessive behavior; the film itself becomes excessive. I eventually overdosed on all the excesses thrown at me; and they started losing their effect and just became voyeuristic and boring. Maybe three hours was just a bit too long, at least for me.

Check it out for yourself.

FYI: In the movie’s final scene, Belfort himself introduces DiCaprio at the sales seminar.