The Rise and Fall of Excess: A Review of 'The Wolf of Wall Street'
Introduction to ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ focuses on the story of the long Island penny stockbroker Jordan Belfort and his climb and subsequent downfall. Evaluating with the biography of Belfort, the movie raises the issues of greed and corruption as the concepts from the world of Wall Street in the 1990s. A montage of glamorous nightlife and financial success this man only gets deeper into crime and fake existence and is eventually brought down.
The film follows the life of a stockbroker and while depicting the life of luxury, greed, corruption, and moral failure. The film is very bipolar in the sense that at one time it is manic, at the other it is ludicrous; this perfectly captures Belfort’s lifestyle. It is a trenchant critique of the ‘American Dream,’ remarked in no uncertain terms what occurs in the wake of acquisitiveness gone wild. Jonah Hill also does good work with his crazy humor and energy as Belfort’s sidekick, Donnie Azoff. It is impressive to watch the talented Margot Robbie portray Naomi Lapaglia, in which she provides a lot of emotion in the conflict with Belfort. Other cast members like Matthew Mc Conaughey, Kyle Chandler gives a concrete enhancement to the roles portrayed by the main cast.
The direction by Martin Scorsese makes ‘’The Wolf of Wall Street’’ rather quite alluring. While not overlooking the details of the Godfather, Scorsese also captures the essence of the characters even as he explores a descent into greed and immorality. There is no boring moment that could let the audience yawn during the film’s long hours of duration.
The film also has an interesting music score that complements the storyline and corresponds to the film’s jumbled visual tapestry by the best of period tunes. The sound transforms into an amplified representation of the film’s intensity, and in tandem with the rapidly spinning world of Belfort.
Rodrigo Prieto underlines the exuberant materialism of the stockbrokers in visuals. It takes from the glamour and the parties to the dangerous meetings – all of which recreate the complex life of Belfort. The levels of dramatic framing and active use of camera movements are also maintained by Prieto in the same rhythm by deepening the audience into the chaos of Wall Street.
The visual elements of the film combine visual richness, which justifies the abundance and excesses of the 1990s Wall Street. Every party scene, every office decor and flashy car are well designed and give a real feel to the movie which does not have many effects. Another significant aspect is the appearance of the formatting which gives credence to the era, especially with the efficient establishment of the old office machineries.
The film achieving great score by making real representations on the technologies during that time and the editing by Thelma Schoonmaker was sharp and dynamic for the story to move on in a fast pace despite of the length of the movie. Her editing style helps to preserve the fast pace of the film and the combination of scenes gives the film feel of Belfort’s life. Nonetheless, the tempo remains fast and, despite this time indication, never drops to provide the audience with the thrill of a rising and falling example of success that is represented by Belfort.
The dialogue is crisp, smart, and has a lot of lewd humor, which well complements the spirit of this film. If ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ entertains a lot it can put a lot of people off through excess and obscenity. Justifiably, this style supersedes substance, and there are moral questions remaining unanswered at the end of the film. Through Scorsese directing and an invaluable performance by DiCaprio, the audience gets suspenseful and at the same time energy-filled movie telling the story about the hazards of greed. It is one of those movies which when watched leave the audiences in a state of trance and makes them think long after the end credits start to roll.
