The Wolves

‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ sees Leonardo Dicaprio and Martin Scorsese collaborate for the fifth time. A partnership that clearly works, both are masters of their craft and at the absolute pinnacles of their career, anything they put their names on now turns to gold and it is in such high reverence that the public hold their name, future historians will look at their collaborations in the same league as Lennon and McCartney. Of all of the Leo/Marty collaborations, Wolf is clearly their finest. It is the most ‘Scorsese’ of all five pictures, it feels like a proper Scorsese film, and for Leo it may just be the finest performance of his career, which is incredible as he has never given a bad performance.

‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ fits in perfectly alongside its cinematic relatives ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Casino’, built within the same framework, sharing the same vernacular and message, to what extent is it ok to be a criminal? Wolf is a crime film just as much as ‘Goodfellas’, if not more. Jordan Belfort is perhaps a smarter, more charming criminal therefore all the more effective. The template of ‘Goodfellas’ is used to soaring effect, that classic Marty style is all over the picture. Finally a movie that feels like real cinema, every frame screams iconography of modern American film-making, a modern classic of modern times, which is a very rare thing these days. The extent to which ‘Wolf’ is linked to ‘Goodfellas’ is monumental, it feels like its counterpart, the distinction between work (crime) and family life, the highs the lows, tracing all of this excess and debauchery from its most humble naive beginnings and culminating in such pandemonium only Scorsese could pull it off with such gallows hilarity. Even Leo’s dark hair and piercing blue eyes scream Ray Liotta.

Why are there distinct similarities between ‘Wolf’ and ‘Goodfellas’? Why are such parallels being drawn? Comparing criminal activity in the mob to the white collar crime on Wall Street? Or is it that both of these films aren’t about crime at all, but a critique on the American dream, and the extent to which society will allow you to behave atrociously and irreverently to attain it. At what cost? Jordan Bellfort was a criminal, through and through. He was ripping people off and making millions of dollars in doing so, but he was living the dream, big house, nice cars, beautiful wife, 170 foot yacht, who is seriously going to hate this guy over envying him? This is where the film succeeds, the reason we like these despicable characters is that it is a despicability that we are all willing to ignore, and such irreverence we would all most likely replicate given the opportunity. The same reason we love Henry Hill in ‘Goodfellas’ despite his despicable actions, because the American dream is worth attaining no matter what the cost. No matter who you have to step over in doing so, the dream is worth it.

The only criticisms that have been made about ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ time and time again are those that it is too much. It is too explicit, too sexual, and too outrageous. Thus we come onto the subject of the ever growing conservative threat of film censorship, which in recent years has become more of a threat to creating real art than it was in the days of the ‘Haze Code’. As we progress further into post 9/11 political correctness, such Orwellian surveillance of what is right and wrong in all art forms has sought to threaten our very right to express ourselves. Criticising a film such as ‘Wolf’ for displaying explicit behaviour is so concerning, not only for Film itself but for our cultural understanding and appreciation of art, and what that word actually means. As culture continues to be liquefied by reality TV, Social networking, Celebrity and the internet, it is offensive that real artists, a true auteur such as Scorsese must justify himself and his artistic decisions to a halfwit frenzied population who know nothing about the art they’re criticizing or its significance to our cultural history.

‘Wolf of Wall Street’ is a landmark film in American film-making, as we progress into the murky waters of tomorrow, we do not know what lays ahead for the future of film. Film has never been more appreciated by the masses, the demand for cinema has never been stronger, the industry has never had such a high level of talent from all over the world at its disposal. Veterans such as Scorsese are still making some of the greatest work of their careers, and new comers are proving that the future is bright for cinematic art. However, the truth is that it is becoming harder and harder to make great pictures in the face of an ever degrading culture. The desire for film has never been more prevalent yet the understanding of our own culture and its history is beginning to dissipate as art continues to be compromised by ignorance.