The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese) [295.5 points / 29 votes]
"So much has been written online about The Wolf of Wall Street that trying to follow the talented likes of Richard Brody, Glenn Kenny, and Nick Pinkerton in 150 words feels akin to being the guy who has to give a speech after Jordan Belfort at Stratton Oakmont. Still, consider the plea of this penny stock of a blurb: this is Scorsese's greatest in nearly twenty-five years, from Leonardo DiCaprio's career-best work to the masterful way the pitch-black satire both entertains us and makes us hurt. Far too much has been made of alleged glorification of the leading character by refusing to show the victims. Seeing as how the victims weren't present in his life, I'm not sure why anyone would expect them to be present in his film. Besides, does anyone expect a simply-sold message from an artist the likes of Scorsese? From the FBI agent riding the subway to the provocative final shot, Scorsese has the balls to do what far too few cinematic storytellers would dare: tell the truth, simply, and let the audience see in it what they may. I saw hysteria. I saw depression. I saw people I know, including myself. I saw it, and continue to see it, as a landmark achievement in one of the greatest careers the art has ever known.
I felt compelled to reach out to a close friend who has worked on Wall Street for the better part of a decade. He, along with many of his stock trading associates, had seen the film on opening day, naturally. I asked him if it glorified Jordan Belfort, its penny stock trading protagonist who struck it rich thanks to a steady diet of deceit, disdain, and criminal behavior. He replied, with a casual quickness, "Of course." I tried to comprehend this particular read of the film, and during my stunned silence, my friend read my thoughts and added, "To people like me. You know... bad people. He's obviously a piece of shit." There's a terrific scene in the Stratton Oakmont offices in which we see his employees take up the guttural, chest-thumping anthem he inherited from his previous employer. You look across the eyes of these people, and you see no soul-- only a thirst for savagery, a regression to the most primal of human behavior. Take for yourself, kill the weak. My friend on Wall Street is fully aware that his behavior, like Jordan Belfort's, has no place in an ideal civilized society, yet civilization is merely the thinnest of veils that can scarcely mask the realities of our urges.
There's an old Chris Rock joke about the moral outrage of Republican politicians at the Monica Lewinsky affair: "No one's trying to blow you!" It's easy to imagine that we would not be Jordan Belfort, that we have the strength, the compassion, and the moral compass to avoid the temptations. We'd like to think that, if we were Icarus, we'd have flown close enough to the sun to get just enough of a good look, then returned to safety. History has shown us that isn't how human nature works. The Wolf of Wall Street is smart to avoid preaching. The majority of the audience members are the same ones looking to play the stock market, attending Belfort's seminars, and beating one's chest looking for the easiest route to success. Mmmm-hmmm-hmmm-hmmm." -- Russell Hainline
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