WEEKEND MOVIE: THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption, and the federal government.

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Written by Terence Winter, Jordan Belfort

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie

Run Time: 3 hours

Rating: R for language, nudity, strong sexual content, smoking, and drug abuse

Hey there, movie lovers! It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes HQ. Today I am taking a look at Martin Scorsese’ss The Wolf of Wall Street. I have popcorn in my system, and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!

This movie examines the crimes of Jordan Belfort and his firm, Stratton Oakmont, from the late 1980s through several years of the 1990s. These crimes were fueled by all kinds of debauchery: drugs, sex, drugs, hard parties at the office, drugs, dwarf tossing, drugs… get the picture? There were a LOT of drugs going on, mainly cocaine and quaaludes.

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort was a master stroke, and a master class in acting. His portrayal of Belfort was sublime. I believed in his portrayal of the drug abuse and the effects. He had the “I’m rich, you’re not, and I couldn’t care less….ADMIRE ME!” attitude down pat! Jonah Hill as Donnie Azoff was the perfect sidekick for the debauchery. Then there is Margot Robbie. Her Brooklyn accent was sheer perfection, as was her body. Yeah, I said it, but I will also say I did not know a body could achieve that shade of gold, yes, GOLD! The casting all around was absolute perfection.

There is one other actor to mention here, Matthew McConaughey as Mark Hanna, Jordan Belfort’s mentor when he was just starting. If you have not seen this movie, pay close attention to what he tells Belfort about what the stock market is all about. If you have seen it before, watch again just for this scene. This is the path to the crimes. This is the path he was set on. Moving their money into your pocket. When Belfort asks if it is good if the client makes money, that idea is shot down with a reiteration of their money into your pocket.

The story is something that I had to wrap my head around. Anytime you get a “historical” movie based on a book by the man who committed the crimes, you have to expect some hero worship. Well, this is hero worship on a pedestal so high, God had to look up to see Belfort. Here were the crimes going on with a devil-may-care attitude to damn near untouchable status, until he was inevitably “touched”.

If you ever wonder what the actual Jordan Belfort looks like, he is the man introducing DiCaprio’s Belfort at the end at a “you too can get rich” seminar. That was a nice little Easter Egg.

This movie is perfect for fans of true crime, white collar crime, great acting, and fantastic directing.

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.