The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) – Review

Review: The Wolf of Wall Street is an insane, hysterical, and utterly compelling look at the American Dream (i.e. what has become a culture of consumerism and materialism run amuck). The film is about Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker who worked his way up from peddling penny stocks to owning and running his own brokerage firm – making millions of dollars in the process, allowing him to live a lavish and extravagantly debauched lifestyle. However, not all his business practices are legal, leading to an FBI investigation. Belfort has the money to fight it, but will his ego allow him to skate under the radar?

With The Wolf of Wall Street, director Martin Scorsese has made a new kind of gangster film, one that somewhat adheres to the genre conventions (the rise from nothing to become powerful, not being able to walk away, and the eventual fall), but plays so much more audacious. In some ways, the film feels a lot like Casino (minus all the violence). It is essentially the story of a man who can see all the angles (in this case the ability to sell anything to anyone) but is ultimately pulled down and betrayed by those closest to him.

It works very well in this way as a character piece, but what makes it so electric and engaging is that Scorsese brings the audience into a world and into the psyche of a man that are held as the ideal in popular culture (extreme wealth and privilege and all that comes with it – who does not dream about being grotesquely rich) only to twist it revealing the drug and sex fueled cultural underbelly of Wall Street, and the men and women who operate seemingly without morals to make as much money as possible while exploiting their most exaggerated desires, degrading humanity with the power of their cash. It is a world that seems so enticing, even in its darkest, most dehumanizing moments. The audience is as much thrilled as they are shocked and/or incensed by what Scorsese shows them. This wildly inappropriate lifestyle (compared to their normal average daily lives) just seems too much fun (even if they hate to admit it), despite being utterly shallow and vain. If only for a moment, the audience is swept up by the striking charisma of Belfort and lose themselves in the never-ending party (much like Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby).

What makes the film so much different than Scorsese’s past gangster films however is that The Wolf of Wall Street, while structurally abiding to the formula, plays as a comedy – an insane and amazing comedy. The film is probably the funniest film of 2013. Scorsese is also completely fearless with the material. He allows scenes to be milked for every piece of comedic gold (something that often pays off with great and wonderful rewards – for example the whole sequence following Belford’s consumption of the lemon Quaaludes). Scorsese also goes big with the performances he garners, which fits the tone fantastically. Everything feels a bit over the top, yet everything works perfectly within the context of the tone and the narrative. Scorsese is able to find the perfect balance of comedy and character.

However, the film is not going to work for everyone. It is extremely graphic and crude, which will have a polarizing effect. Belfort is also a mostly unlikable character. He is downright despicable, in fact. And yet, Scorsese’s direction and Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance create a man who completely commands the screen, and like with the best antiheroes in film history the audience cannot help but find themselves rooting for him (despite disagreeing with everything he is). Belfort is charismatic and charming – and even though the audience knows he is destined to fall (as that is what the genre dictates must happen), part of them wants to see him win. Although, some will find him unredeemable and will be unaffected by his charm, and for those viewers the film will likely lose a lot of its infectious appeal.

Something that is also very interesting about The Wolf of Wall Street is what it says about America (and really the rest of the world that is now also beginning to buy into the culture of materialism, consumerism, and plain greed). Really, there is nothing to like in these characters. All of them are awful people, but again the audience cannot help but find them and their lifestyle magnetic and alluring (even if it is soulless and empty). Have we as people become so consumed with greed that we want the world at the cost of everyone else? That is what Wall Street is founded on. It is an industry built on getting rich on clients’ money without regard for their wellbeing, yet clients continue to line up in droves. Trading stocks is no different than gambling for the average investor, and many brokers will say anything to push their product because all they care about is the commission (as the clients are already hooked by the thrill of the roll of the dice). The whole financial industry really is just a cesspool of greed, allowing the rich to great richer at the cost of everyone and everything else. Scorsese’s film clearly details the people and culture of this industry. As exaggerated as the film may appear, this is what Wall Street is actually like, what the people are actually like – and yet people continue to give them their money, because they too want their chance to be rich. Each stock holds the promise of something spectacular, just like the turn of each new card or throw of the dice. Humanity very well may already be lost – Scorsese is just reminding us how we got here.

The Wolf of Wall Street is completely entertaining. It is contagiously funny. Using charm and the allure of the American Dream, it pulls the viewer in, exposing them to the crazy world of the Wall Street broker – a world that is at the same time unbelievable, engrossing, and disgusting.

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: The Wolf of Wall Street is everything one has come to expect from a Martin Scorsese gangster film, yet unlike anything else the director has done to date. The film grabs the viewer from the start and does not let them go until the credits – whether they are watching with giddy joy or shocked disgust. It is probably premature to say this (being that I have only seen the film once), but it might be my favorite Scorsese film (my other favorites are Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and The Departed). I just found it to be incredibly funny, captivating, and thoroughly compelling (and maybe it makes me deplorable, but I loved every minute of it).

Scorsese uses music extremely well in his films, and The Wolf of Wall Street is no different. The film features a fantastic soundtrack, with iconic songs that give the viewer a sense of the time period of each sequence and sets the stage tonally. Rodrigo Prieto’s cinematography is fantastic as well (probably the best work of his career to date). His collaboration with Scorsese gives the film a heightened feel, as if the characters and their world exist on a different plain of reality (which in many ways it does). Bob Shaw’s production design is also top notch. While the characters feel very big and maybe even overblown at times, his work seems to ground everything in reality, as everything looks and feels honest to the world.

The performances in the film are brilliant. Jean Dujardin is a lot of fun in a small supporting role, while Kyle Chandler brings a dose of ‘everyman’ to his supporting role as the FBI agent investigating Belfort. Jon Bernthal is great as Brad, a member of Belfrot’s inner circle. He plays the quintessential New Jersey meathead type. Matthew McConaughey is also fantastic as Belfort’s mentor and inductor into a world of loose morals and unbelievable greed (continuing his very strong year, which also includes Mud and Dallas Buyers Club). Newcomer Margot Robbie is wonderful as Belfort’s second wife Naomi. She almost steals every scene she is in – scenes opposite other brilliant actors and great performances – as she just pulls attention towards her (and not just because of her looks). She has a great energy epitomizing a person using whatever they have to socially climb. Jonah Hill also steals scenes as Belfort’s best friend and business partner Donnie (it is his best work to date). Hill plays Donnie to be just a complete asshole, constantly presenting himself as an antagonist in every situation. He is utterly unlikable, and yet so dynamic. Leonardo DiCaprio turns in one of his best performances as well as Belfort. At first he seems like a sincere, nice guy – but once he gets a taste of the lifestyle that money can afford him, the complete abandoning of morals is intoxicatingly freeing. He can do whatever he wants, literally (or so he feels). DiCaprio just has a lot of fun with the character, which in turn translates full on for the audience who also has fun with him.

Summary & score: The Wolf of Wall Street jumps off the screen, forcing the viewer to experience something powerful (be it sheer jovial excitement, utter amazement, scornful shock, or discernment). It is a modern masterwork that showcases the dark side of the American Dream. 9/10 

Argo (2012) – Review

Review: Argo is a gripping thriller that also plays as sort a nostalgic comedy. The film is about the 1979 Tehran hostage crisis. When the U.S. Embassy is stormed by Iranian revolutionaries, six civilians escape out the back and hide in the Canadian Ambassador’s house. CIA agent Tony Mendez, who specializes in extracting people, puts together a plan to get them out of Iran. His plan involves a fake Hollywood sci-fi film called Argo.

Director Ben Affleck does a lot with the material in this film. First, it is based on a true story, which seems to automatically make it more compelling, and yet a lot of the narrative’s tension comes from the specifics. Getting the six Americans out is thrilling enough, but this is a movie after all and things need to be enhanced for dramatic effect – how much is enhancement and how much is fact is unknown to me, but I take the specific details that heighten the tension to be enhancement. Details like: the mission being called off only for Mendez to go ahead anyway leading to the CIA home office having to scramble to get everything in place. Or, the movie producers being delayed by a production assistant and nearly missing the call that saved the lives of the Americans. All these things make the tension almost unbearable, yet feel kind of phony at the same time. That said, Affleck’s use of tension in the third act is fantastic (phony or not). The dramatic tension is done so well that it is almost too effective and nerve-racking. Even when the Americans are home free (I would say spoilers, but this is a true story, so we all know how it turns out already), the audience is still not sure if everything is going to be okay through the rest of the film because they are still so wound-up. Affleck’s has done seemingly too good a job, as the tension builds and builds throughout most of the second half of the film. The narrative device signaling that the suspense is over and the audience can relax seems to not have its intended effect, as the audience is somewhat on edge through the credits (and on the way back to their cars).

The tone of the film varies a bit, which also plays into the tension being almost too intense. Affleck marries two very different tonal aspects of the narrative: one being the gripping thriller of the Americans hiding and then being rescued, and the other being Mendez’s trip to Hollywood to build the cover for his mission. This section of the film plays like a comedy. The tone is very light (for the most part, though there is still an edge simmering underneath as the situation in Tehran is never out of mind), with the narrative playing almost like a nostalgic trip back to Hollywood in the late 1970s, early 1980s. There are lots of jokes (both verbal and visual). There are kooky characters. The tone in these scenes certainly does not mesh particularly well with the rest of the film (right?). Except, it sort of does mesh well, because Affleck is commenting on the absurdity of the plan to get these people out – pretending to be a film crew scouting a location in Iran for a sci-fi adventure – and really the whole situation. There is still a subconscious disconnect for the viewer however, as the tone changes from serious drama to comedy to nail-biting thriller which throws off the narrative structure a bit, but Affleck is able to guide the viewer through and keep them engaged with his compelling storytelling. He weaves all the different elements of the story together very well despite the tonal issue.

The tonal shifts and the overwhelming tension, seemingly built on Hollywoodized dramatic enhancements to the narrative, still leave the film feeling like it does not quite work as well as it seems to. Yes, it is very captivating, and Affleck does a wonderful job with the characters economically giving them each enough for the audience to be invested in them (which only again adds to the effect of the tension – as the audience cares about what happens to these people), but there is something missing. It might be that Mendez is not a strong enough character. Thus, the audience is merely watching the narrative play out (while having a stake in the Americans plight, trapped in Tehran) rather than being pulled in by the film’s protagonist. Affleck does develop the character, but he is very dry and sort of dull (for the most part). It might be that the ending is not effective enough to break the tension and allow the audience to feel relief (and I think this is one of the main issues with the film along with the aggrandized dramatic tension). It might be the narrative structure feeling disjointed due to the varying tone, which also causes the pacing to feel a bit slow at times. It might be all these things.

However, overall Argo is a very good thriller, as it completely commands the audience’s attention (especially in the third act), and is also appealing for its nostalgic qualities, particularly for those familiar with filmmaking (and the Hollywood system), overcoming its narrative and structural issues.

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: Ben Affleck is now three movies in as a director (his other two being Gone Baby Gone and The Town). And, he is three for three in terms of making good films. Argo will likely be his most critically acclaimed as it is already earmarked for Oscar contention (but personally, The Town is my favorite). The film works because of its poignant dramatic and emotional correlation to the political climate in today’s world (specifically in the region – and specifically for Western audiences who can empathize with the characters). Justified or not, there is a palpable fear or tension in the air regarding the future of the Middle East (for both its people and the World).

Alexandre Desplat’s score is great, mixing flavors of the region with dramatic touchstones that emphasize the emotions of the narrative (here is a playlist). The film also has a great period soundtrack (Dream On is very effective in the trailer). Rodrigo Prieto’s cinematography is excellent, really capturing the period look with his lighting. However, Sharon Seymour’s production design stands out the most. The sets, costumes and overall look are brilliant, as much of the film has been matched to documentary footage taken at the time of the crisis. The exceptional production quality does elevate the overall feeling of the film rooting it in realism, and Affleck does a great job with this as well as director.

The cast, which includes a ton of small roles and bit parts, is very good – Richard Kind and Kyle Chandler standout in these bit parts. Kerry Bishe, Rory Cochrane, Scoot McNairy, and Victor Garber are strong in small supporting roles, having to play a lot of strain on their characters. John Goodman and Alan Arkin are great as they bring comedy to the film, while still preserving the film’s dramatic power. Bryan Cranston plays sort of a generic character, but brings some humanity to him nonetheless. Ben Affleck has a touch role to play, as most of the characters around him get all the good stuff. He is mostly an observer, with brief dramatic moments. And yet, he still is able to serve as a good (though the character is not great) connection to the story for the audience.

Summary & score: Argo has a few nagging issues, but overall it is an entirely absorbing tale. 8/10