The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), directed by Martin Scorsese and based on the memoir of Jordan Belfort, is an ambitious film that captures the reckless spirit of the 1990s Wall Street stockbroker world. It follows the rise and fall of Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), a stockbroker who builds a fortune through fraudulent means, eventually becoming a symbol of excess, greed, and moral decay.
The Rise of Jordan Belfort
The movie opens with Jordan Belfort’s initial foray into the stock market, where he starts as a humble trainee at a brokerage firm. Through his quick learning and relentless ambition, he soon lands a position at a larger brokerage, but the firm crashes on Black Monday (1987). Instead of giving up, Belfort sees this as an opportunity and decides to pursue a new venture: selling penny stocks. The film introduces his early encounter with a promising stockbroker, Mark Hanna (played by Matthew McConaughey), whose advice on treating clients as mere tools for personal gain sets the tone for Belfort’s career.
Belfort’s unique sales approach, driven by his charm and aggressiveness, catches the attention of several people, including his first partner, Donnie Azoff (played by Jonah Hill). They establish the brokerage firm Stratton Oakmont, which becomes a symbol of greed and excess. Using a combination of manipulating stocks and defrauding investors, Belfort and his associates create a culture of deception that enables them to amass vast wealth.
Themes of Greed and Corruption
At its core, The Wolf of Wall Street is a film about greed. Belfort, while initially driven by the desire for wealth, begins to develop a warped sense of entitlement, where the accumulation of money and power becomes the sole purpose of his life. As the film progresses, Belfort’s actions become increasingly extreme. His unethical behavior is not just limited to stock manipulation; he engages in money laundering, insider trading, and reckless indulgence in drugs, parties, and excess. This transformation is a testament to the idea that power and wealth, when gained through unethical means, often lead to moral corruption.
Scorsese uses this transformation to explore the effects of capitalism, not just on individuals but also on society at large. The film makes a pointed commentary on how the financial industry rewards people like Belfort, who use deceit and manipulation to profit. His success is portrayed as a reflection of an unregulated and hyper-capitalistic society that values profits over principles. The portrayal of Stratton Oakmont’s office culture is telling: it’s a place where employees are encouraged to “sell the dream” to investors while simultaneously robbing them blind.
The scene where Belfort delivers a motivational speech to his employees, urging them to sell as aggressively as possible, underscores this theme of manipulation. The use of hypnotic rhetoric to control others is a key technique for Belfort’s success, and it emphasizes the power of language and persuasion in the world of finance.
The Role of Excess and Hedonism
One of the most prominent features of The Wolf of Wall Street is its depiction of excess. The film is famous for its hedonistic portrayal of Belfort’s lifestyle, which includes extravagant parties, lavish homes, expensive cars, and a constant supply of drugs and women. Scorsese, with his trademark style, vividly brings these moments to life through rapid pacing and wild, chaotic cinematography. These scenes highlight the contrast between the characters’ opulence and their moral decay.
Belfort’s unrestrained lifestyle becomes a symbol of the indulgence that defines Wall Street culture. He spends obscene amounts of money on private jets, boats, and even a yacht where he engages in parties that spiral into reckless behavior. This constant pursuit of more – more money, more pleasure, more power – reveals a moral vacuum at the heart of his world. His addiction to this hedonistic cycle is mirrored by his obsession with control and the appearance of success.
Perhaps the most notable example of this is the infamous “quaalude scene,” where Belfort, under the influence of drugs, experiences a comically exaggerated sequence of events, including his failed attempt to drive while incapacitated. This scene exemplifies the film’s chaotic, comedic approach to serious topics. Scorsese’s use of humor here is meant to emphasize the absurdity of Belfort’s lifestyle while also showing how his reckless behavior contributes to his downfall.
Belfort’s Relationships
Belfort’s relationships with others in the film reflect his moral decay and highlight his self-centered nature. His marriage to his first wife, Teresa (Cristin Milioti), deteriorates as he becomes more consumed by his wealth and power. He eventually marries Naomi Lapaglia (Margot Robbie), a beautiful model who shares his taste for opulence and excess. The relationship between the two is built on superficial attraction and shared hedonism, with Naomi playing a pivotal role in Belfort’s world of indulgence. Their marriage, like the others in the film, becomes a reflection of Belfort’s own inability to form meaningful, genuine connections due to his obsession with wealth.
Belfort’s relationship with his employees is similarly transactional. His team at Stratton Oakmont is more like a cult following, bound by their shared love of money and their loyalty to him. As his empire grows, Belfort becomes more manipulative and authoritative. His speech to the employees encourages a cutthroat mentality, and this, in turn, breeds more dishonesty and fraud within the firm. The employees are depicted as living for the thrill of the job, feeding off the adrenaline of manipulating others to achieve wealth.
The most tragic relationship in the film is the one between Belfort and his mentor, Mark Hanna. While Hanna’s advice on treating clients like tools seems to be a casual observation, it proves to be the foundational philosophy behind Belfort’s rise. However, by the end of the film, it’s clear that this pursuit of wealth at any cost leaves Belfort isolated, alone, and without real satisfaction. He’s a symbol of empty ambition, and the people who surround him are ultimately just as lost.
The Downfall
The eventual downfall of Jordan Belfort comes when he becomes the target of the FBI. His brazen flaunting of wealth and his increasingly reckless actions draw the attention of law enforcement, culminating in his arrest and conviction. What’s most striking about the downfall is that Belfort’s arrogance doesn’t wane. Throughout his trial and subsequent conviction, he never truly takes responsibility for his actions. Instead, he manipulates the situation for his own benefit, negotiating a lighter sentence in exchange for cooperating with the authorities.
The ending of the film sees Belfort serving a relatively short sentence before returning to a life of public speaking, where he continues to capitalize on his infamous past. This conclusion is deeply cynical, suggesting that even after everything, Belfort is still able to profit from his fraudulent career. His punishment seems insignificant compared to the wealth he accumulated, and this leaves viewers with a sense of moral ambiguity. Did Belfort truly learn from his mistakes, or is he merely a product of a system that rewards success, no matter how it’s achieved?
Conclusion
The Wolf of Wall Street is a film that critiques the morally bankrupt world of finance while simultaneously exploring the psychological and social consequences of greed. Through the character of Jordan Belfort, the film presents a man who rises to incredible heights through deceit, only to fall into an empty existence fueled by hedonism and superficial relationships. Scorsese’s direction, DiCaprio’s captivating performance, and the film’s unapologetically wild depiction of excess all contribute to its status as a darkly comedic yet sobering examination of wealth, ambition, and corruption in modern society.
In the end, The Wolf of Wall Street serves as both a cautionary tale and a satire. It doesn’t just condemn the characters within the film; it also critiques a system that allows individuals like Belfort to thrive, raising important questions about the true cost of success.
