The Wolf of Wall Street

The yardsticks of judging films of a certain genre seem to be dug to the depths of inflexibility. We now know exactly when to expect a slow motion sequence, when to break into tears of pity and when to clap for a motivating monologue. And when an amateur rebel of a director comes around with something unconventional, we are ready to pan him down with a misguided sense of knowledge. Conventions, with their now predictable structure have crippled the audience and critics alike. Films, especially the popular ones, have become mere opportunities for wannabe's to broadcast pseudo-intellectual inferences and opinions.

Not us! We know what we're talking about.

An intervention is called for. And not from anybody vulnerable, trying hard to make their mark, but from someone well established and authoritative enough to righteously shove the intervention into people’s throats, basically-a big Daddy. Enter, Martin Scorsese.

A vigilante filmmaker with a large cache of cameras? We need Nicolas Cage to play this guy.

The Wolf of Wall Street is a surprisingly surprising film. With a biopic, that is unusual. Scorsese has challenged the film fraternity by using a genius technique which is disturbingly successful only when it is hidden. The film does not necessarily track the turning points in Jordan Belfort's life, what it does though is that it shows all the instances that highlight the intricacies of the character. These instances might not lead to the next phase of his life but they sure tell you what kind of a person Jordan Belfort is.

There are two separate questions- What is the story of Jordan Belfort? And who is Jordan Belfort? 'The Wolf of Wall Street' answers the second question. Does it do so reliably? We will never know, because it is based on a book written by the man himself. All we can do is laugh at his insanely money, drugs and sex driven life, as it slides down as much as it possibly can. And we get ample moments to laugh. So many moments that you start to feel guilty for laughing at a hard working man's tragedy. But hey, he is a crooked man isn't he? What might have been an immensely intense biographical drama becomes an immensely engaging study of a character. And does it come to a conclusion? Well the story does, but the character doesn't.

The character just keeps drinking.

So go watch it for Dicaprio's potential Oscar winning performance and Scorsese's relentless efforts towards quality film-making. Watch it for the humor and for the seeming light heartedness. Watch it for its aggrandizement of everything wrong, and for the challenge that it puts to your mind. Consume it all as food for thought. It is tasty food.

The Wolf of Wall Street is not unconventional. It is neo-conventional.

IMDB Rating: 8.7/10 (This rating will probably decrease in the following weeks)

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 76%

Should you watch it: Yes

My Rating: 3.5/5