FILM: The Wolf Of Wall Street

New York, New York...

Today's guest blog comes courtesy of Ms Sarah Scoonover, aka Asha Vose from Red Room.  Originally there was talk of a House Of Cards 2 preview, but apparently it's too good to talk about without giving anything away.  Instead, she gives her thoughts on Scorsese's latest...

In keeping with the blog, I will discuss The Wolf of Wall Street, the latest Martin Scorsese film. Scorsese is famous for dark films with a heavy masculine audience like Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, and Taxi Driver. He’s brilliant, beloved of actors and screenwriters alike. There are a number of recurrent themes in his films: corruption, the casual nature of criminal violence, and self-sabotage among others. This film covered all of them.

I went into the theater (that’s right, American spelling) on a weeknight. It’s a nice theater, but the bored police officer who has been there every night since the shootings last year, made it hard to feel completely safe. It was easy to feel watched.

After the previews, I heard the unmistakable narration of Leondardo DiCaprio as main character Jordan Belfort. He opens the film snorting coke from a stripper’s most un-sunlit place.

At that moment, my experience of the film changed in a fundamental way. I went in expecting a film about finance, crime, and possibly drugs. I in no way expected to laugh until I fell out of my chair. But I did, repeatedly during the film.

The film isn’t light-hearted, but there’s a special kind of dark humor that carries it through. There is heavy criticism directed at the perceived apathy of the American people toward financial regulation and white collar crime in general. There are few, if any, good people in the movie.

What I’m trying to say, is it isn’t the easiest film to watch. It’s rough on a viewer; the characters make increasingly amoral decisions, bad things happen to good people, drugs and prostitutes abound, finally an awful lot of money is won and lost under the worst of circumstances to the worst people.

If you can find humor in the lowest rungs of humanity, then you’ll enjoy this film as much as I did; however, I do feel compelled to add a few caveats. Warnings for the viewer: there are uses of bad language, sex, and drugs in the film that will put off even the most seasoned moviegoer. Also, you’ll leave the theater with a powerful urge to try Quaaludes.

You have been warned.

If you like my writing style, I mostly talk books over at Redroom under Asha Vose. Thanks again for letting me post.

Without further ado, I return you to your regular blogger.

So what are you waiting for?  Go check out Asha's other work at Redroom!