![]() It’s a good thing that Scorsese was up to this new challenge, because otherwise we’d have never been blessed with his best film since 1990’s GOODFELLAS. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET’s greenlighting is a direct result of Scorsese’s ability to adapt to the shifting business landscape, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering the seasoned director weathered a similar storm when the challenging character dramas he’d excelled in during the 1970’s gave way to the mindless corporate blockbuster fare of the 1980’s. In light of this new, filmmaker-hostile climate, DiCaprio, Scorsese, and co-producers Riza Aziz, Joey McFarland, and Emma Tillinger Koskoff financed the film independently via lots of foreign cash. But the landscape was different now-film studios had taken a major hit too, and the prospect of making a hundred million dollar film without a popular pre-existent property to base around it was simply off the table, no matter who behind the wheel. One would think this dream team of director, actor, and writer would be enough to immediately greenlight THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (2013) with a budget of ALL the dollars-and maybe it would have been prior to the 2008 crash. In relatively short order, DiCaprio was able sign filmmaker Martin Scorsese to direct a script by his screenwriter on the 2010 BOARDWALK EMPIRE pilot, Terence Winter. Actor/producer Leonardo DiCaprio and his team scooped up the rights as a starring vehicle for himself. Naturally, it was only a matter of time until the book was optioned for translation to the feature film format. It was around this time that a novel by disgraced stockbroker Jordan Belfort named “The Wolf Of Wall Street” was published and gained traction as a scathing expose on the immense fraud perpetrated upon the American public as told through the eyes of the perpetrators. There is perhaps no greater cinematic metaphor for greed and excess than Wall Street (thanks in no small part to Oliver Stone’s seminal 1987 film of the same name), so in the aftermath of such unrivaled financial destruction, stockbrokers and bankers became very easy villains to pin the blame on. ![]() When the bottom fell out, and all those zeroes in our bank accounts turned out to be just that-zeroes that amounted to nothing– the finance industry imploded, and took countless other industries, companies, and jobs with it. The epicenter was Wall Street, which, during the freewheeling, deregulated Bush years, enjoyed unprecedented levels of financial revenue and autonomy. The Great Recession drastically changed the American landscape like a megathrust earthquake. It's ironic that "American Psycho" was initially criticized for promoting toxic masculinity, as it's directed by female filmmaker Mary Harron and can easily be read as a condemnation of Bateman's behavior, not an endorsement.Martin Scorsese: THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (2013) Both DiCaprio and Bale play characters whose public fronts and private dealings are vastly different both men can continue their deceptions thanks to their magnetic personalities. Watching Bateman graphically murder his obnoxious co-worker Paul Allen (Jared Leto) to the tune of "It's Hip to Be Square" is hilarious and terrifying all at once. However, Bateman is also a serial killer who hooks victims with his charisma. He lives in a lavish apartment, attends fancy restaurants, employs expensive sex workers, and prizes his personal business cards. Bateman is a successful investment banker, and like Belfort he luxuriates with all of the benefits of his wealth. Belfort may have harbored disaster, but Christian Bale's Patrick Bateman is a straight up slasher villain. The complexity of 21st trading should appeal to "The Wolf of Wall Street" fans.Ģ000's "American Psycho" addresses similar themes, again by using the corruption of the New York finance world and black comedy. Brolin is a very different type of villain, and his shrewdness is terrifying when compared to the upbeat energy that Douglas had in the first film. Winnie is understandably hesitant about trusting her father she seeks to build an honorable practice, despite the familial ties that haunt her reputation. However, the two are forced to work together when the owner of a rival firm, Bretton James (Josh Brolin), attempts to destroy both of their reputations with a scam.ĭouglas explores a weariness that tempers his initially charismatic performance getting away with malicious activities is too common to deliver any sort of thrill. Gecko sees him as another protege, but Moore doesn't want to associate himself with the infamous criminal. His daughter Winnie (Carey Mulligan) has distanced herself from her father, and dates the trader Jacob Moore (Shia Labeouf), an idealist like Bud. ![]() "Money Never Sleeps" shows a more sympathetic side to Gecko. ![]()
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