The Wolf of Wall Street

Another Sky Movies showing here. This time it is The Wolf of Wall Street - the film based on the true story of Wall Street player Jordan Belfort, and his highly excessive, highly lucrative and highly illegal lifestyle. 

Another collaboration between Leonardo DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese. Both legendary names, both legendary talents - and in reputation this film already had quite the impact from the off so I was looking forward.

I think a major theme and issue with The Wolf of Wall Street from start to finish, is that it was always designed and thus delivered as being incredibly raw. In bombarding the audience with these insanely flawed and insanely indulgent characters within their insanely insane world, at no point did I feel that any subtlety was considered. Or at least if it was considered, it was quickly disregarded 99% of the time. Even when attempts are made to deliver moments of intrinsic, and powerful emotion (of which there are a few) it is always done in a very forceful, whirlwind of a sequence. Don't get me wrong, as this often fits in very well with the whole feel of the film - often heightening the satire and the lunacy. I just feel that with such a powerhouse wrecking ball of a film, there is very little opportunity for The Wolf of Wall Street to showcase any measured and crafted elements. Oddly the only way you can appreciate the craft and talent here is when you admire the crafted talent of the film's gratuitous assault on the audience's senses. Whether or not in this case that is a positive or a negative thing, I feel the jury may still be out.

Performance-wise this is reflected too. No doubt about it - DiCaprio has clearly worked incredibly hard to encapsulate Jordan Belfort, but as an actor I cannot really praise him much more than that. The main character reflects the film itself - you can appreciate what is going on, but after 180 minutes it does become a little jarring.

Likewise relative newcomer Margot Robbie does indeed smolder and sizzle fantastically as Naomi Lapaglia (and the chemistry between her and DiCaprio is palpable) but the appeal is quickly lost, or rather is not retained as it should be. In Robbie's case the problem is there to a slightly lesser extent admittedly, but I cannot decide whether that is due to her slightly one-dimensional quality as an actress, or the fact that her character isn't as heavily featured throughout the film.

Jonah Hill is a bit of a dissapointment for me. Again the hard work to become Donnie Azoff is there, but beneath that I didn't get the sense of much at all. Every moment, movement or mannerism Hill presents always comes across as very flippant or so heavily embellished that it's bordering on panto. 

It may be that I am just being harsh here, or maybe I just don't get what these performances are trying to achieve. I know that these very loud, less-than-subtle performances were deliberate and that they were done in an attempt to tune in with the overall film, but I also know that there is a way to deliver loud and direct characters and sustain them and their appeal throughout a film, and for me most of the time The Wolf of Wall Street just did not deliver.

It seems to me that most of the best character moments came in the form of those who weren't on screen for that long - such as Matthew McConaughey as the very eccentric Mark Hanna. 

There is no denying that there is creative skill and talent to be found within The Wolf of Wall Street. I just think that it is delivered in a very ham-fisted, half-baked way, and that so much more could have been made of the potential that is abundantly present. In a way I feel cheated as I believe this film could have been better, but I also can see the point of view of those who are very happy with the actual end result.