Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Movie Review #52: The Wolf of Wall Street

The end of the year kinda snuck up on me, so in a panic I turned to Netflix for my final new movie of the year. The result: The Wolf of Wall Street, which appeared on Netflix a surprisingly short time after being released in theaters.

Short review: definitely interesting and engaging, and perhaps at times even inspiring. It's not a feel-good movie or a funny movie, and there isn't some moral lesson to be learned from the movie--not really. It depicts a fascinating thing that happened, and you can take from it what you will.

SYNOPSIS

Based on a true story, an ambitious stock broker breaks into the business and soon makes tons of money. With more money than he really knows what to do with, he fills his life with excess and debauchery, reveling in it while an FBI agent patiently builds a case against him...

FULL REVIEW

When watching something like this, I can't help but wonder what I would do with that kind of money. Then I quickly realized that I'm neither the type of person to acquire money in that way, nor the type of person who would enjoy that sort of lifestyle.

Clearly the main character, Jordan, is a completely different person from myself, and while I can't relate to him in any way, I can't help but admire the incredible self-confidence that drove him to success, even if it also led to his downfall.

The movie depicts the result of an obsession with money, and the depiction is not entirely negative. I mean, sure, the guy ends up losing his family, his friends, and his business, but in the end his wealth saves him from most of the repercussions from his crimes. The real Jordan Belfort was, in fact, on set for much of the filming, influencing the depiction of his life's story.

Martin Scorsese directed the film masterfully, right down to a weird sensation when watching scenes in which Jordan is high on one substance or another. Technically speaking, it's a lovely film.

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