Movie Poster

Sell me this pen!

# Review

I had this film on my to-watch list for ages but have finally gotten around to watching it. The film tells the story of Jordan Belfort, self-described as the “Wolf of Wall Street”, a fraudster who launched Stratton Oakmont, a brokerage firm well-known for its pump-and-dump schemes.

This acting is phenomenal, with Leonardo DiCaprio at the helm as the titular character, supported by his sidekick Donny Azof played by Jonah Hill and his love interest Naomi Lapaglia played by Margot Robbie. DiCaprio plays a very convincing charismatic broker while the supporting cast all work to make his character as unhinged and degenerate as possible. My favourite aspect of the film is the portrayal of the ridiculous antics employed by the brokers of Stratton Oakmont such as the casual abuse of drugs such as Quaaludes couple with their out-of-control partying.

As with most Scorsese films, one can make a case that it glorifies crimes and criminals; this was especially the case with The Wolf of Wall Street. There is no real moral message despite Belfort scamming investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s doubly ironic that a film glorifying fraud is financed by fraud.

Despite the lack of morality in the film, it’s hilarious and an interesting look at an interesting story that affects us even today by helping shaping the development of social media.

# Conclusion

A film about fraud financed by fraud.

# Overall rating: 8.1

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