For the past few weeks all I have heard about is how good The Wolf of Wall Street is but even so when going to see it I entered with minimal expectations. The charm of big blockbusters has progressively worn off over the years until I have been left with a cynicism which is pretty characteristic of my general outlook on life. So even before starting, the film was set with a difficult challenge at winning me over.
Laced with humour that becomes almost slapstick at points the film is indeed watchable. I may not be DiCaprio's biggest fan in the world but his performance was undoubtedly impressive. Narrated through his monologue, I found there were echoes of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Trainspotting which are in no way mediocre comparisons to make. It seems my cynicism may well have been hasty.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not going to start singing the film's praises from the rooftops as seems to be the general consensus and at a running time of 180 minutes I found myself getting restless at points. Yet, if anything Scorsese's portrayal of Wall Street is ballsy. There is little attempt to win over the audience or paint things in any other light than through the excess and greed that is to be expected of an industry that is centred on money. In fact, the ludicrous nature of the entirety of the story leaves you questioning what really must go on behind the closed doors of a stock broker's home. At a time in which the question of how the richest 1% spend their time is certainly relevant, the film is unashamed in its answer.
There is no sign of heeding and what Scorsese manages to create is a scene that is in no way black and white. The allure of greed that underpins the narrative leaves you unsure of where you stand but that is what ends up being the smartest thing about the film. While it does not attempt to create sympathy for its characters as would commonly be expected, it instead leaves you questioning whether you would have acted any differently in the same situation.
There is no attempt to humanise the men of the financial world, rather their difference from the ordinary is made blatantly clear throughout, but there is instead a suggestion that we may not be as far from them as we choose to believe. In highlighting such over arching aspects as the materialistic nature that seems to be characteristic of our generation, the film is a success. Although a depiction of one man's story, the focus is instead shifted on to the overall structuring of society and what we are left with is a film with a lot more substance than the ones taken by the characters in it.
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