This movie is rated Restricted/18A. Minors wishing to see the movie will need to be accompanied by an adult.

The younger generation prefers watching commercially intriguing films that captivate and interest them, while the older generation supports educational films that have a chance of enlightening their children. Though rated Restricted/18A, The Wolf of Wall Street presents a mixed dose of both crude comedy and economy education.

Well directed by Martin Scorsese, the movie presents tons of good characterization, introduction of new characters, and development of existing characters. Motifs of change and corruption are so evident in the movie that these ideas raised the picture’s overall rating. Choosing to omit extravagant digital effects, DiCaprio and Scorsese made The Wolf of Wall Street stand out for its fascinating, revolting, outlandish, uproarious, and exhilarating storyline on immorality.

A very fast three hours with the Wolf, Scorsese’s film features the true story of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption, and the federal government. With the use of hubris, the movie is an exploration into the dark side of the American Dream; the problems of money, crime, narcotics, and sex are revealed. No doubt about the tremendous amount of work put into the making, the Wolf stands as Scorsese’s finest in the past 15 years.

Taking place in the early 1990s, the plot features Jordan Belfort, his partner, Donny Azoff, and their brokerage firm’s rise to fame and fall to bankruptcy. Starting with a staff of 20, Stratton Oakmont Inc. quickly grew to a staff of more than 250 and managed to establish themselves in the trading community of Wall Street. As his company grew, so did Belfort’s amount of substances he abused, as well as the lies he told. Throwing lavish parties for their staff when they hit the jackpot on high trades, Belfort and his board members drew attention from every corner of the country. Ultimately, Belfort’s style and his immoral practices earned him the front cover of Forbes Magazine, which labelled him as “The Wolf of Wall Street”. With the FBI on his tail, Belfort constantly devises new ways to cover his tracks and keep his fortune growing. But with all the resources that these agents have, how long will Belfort and Azoff be able to maintain their elaborate wealth and luxurious lifestyles? Go watch the movie if you have yet to do so, because you will be impressed by Belfort’s wit and slyness.

Mentioned earlier, the motifs that drive the movie are change and corruption. After watching, the audience should recognize the significant development that Belfort and his followers went through. Employees of Stratton Oakmont Inc. turned at the wrong streets; all of them started off as humble workers yearning to be rich, yet they ended their roll in a huge mess with the FBI not to mention several cases of severe drug addiction. Well done by Scorsese, his consistent use of unexpected changes really kept the audience on their toes.

Relating to classical literature, Belfort’s rise and fall fits with the ideals of a tragic hero. Like Anakin Skywalker, from George Lucas’ Star Wars, Belfort started his career as an innocent man seeking fame and glory. Jordan even said so himself, starting off as a “22 year old, newly married, and already a money crazed little shit. So what do I do? I go to the one place on Earth where I can fit my high minded ambitions.” On his first day at L.F. Rothschild, Jordan’s lunch session with Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey) sowed the seeds of Belfort’s transformation into his own version of Vader. In the end, Anakin and Jordan had a similar thought processes and similar consequences, as both’s crazy ambitions eventually became their downfall. On a less calamitous note, tragic hero concepts make interesting movies; stories of inevitable doom have a long history of being successful in literature and film.

Overall, The Wolf of Wall Street is a great watch and it’s definitely worth three hours of your life. With some history of stockbroking combined with a twist of contemporary crude comedy, Leonardo DiCaprio will put you in Jordan Belfort’s shoes and make you feel like you’re walking on Wall Street.

9/10