Step aside DeNiro! Leonardo DiCaprio has a brilliant collaboration going on which is beginning to rival the screen legend's partnership with the great director. This is the fifth film which DiCaprio has worked with Scorsese, following Gangs Of New York, The Aviator, The Departed & Shutter Island.
The Wolf Of Wall Street amounts pretty much to Goodfellas of the financial world. Based on the true story of Jordan Bellfort, a drug-addicted, sex-addicted, money-addicted stockbroker who lives life to full excess and pays the penalty when the FBI investigate his wrongdoing and underhand tactics.
This black comedy is as black as they come with DiCaprio, Jonah Hill and co all playing unsympathetic characters who get rich making others poor, indulging in the lifestyles of rich and famous and taking an insane amount of drugs.
Although the characters are morally unpleasant, this film is absolutely hilarious with the characters suffering from their own greed and self-indulgence.
In another year, DiCaprio might have won the Best Actor Oscar for this performance (he lost out to Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club).
At nearly 3 hours, this film is a long slog and the first hour rolls along slowly, but it's full steam ahead after that and a brilliant comedy of yuppie greed during the 1980's and 90's.