Skinning the Wolf

It all comes down to trust. For a filmaker like Martin Scorsese, who is old enough to have attained complete command of his craft, and sharp enough to still wield it, creating a movie that evinced disgust at the actions of one Jordan Belfort would be all too easy. Boring, even. Like his friend Werner Herzog, Scorsese has directed documentaries and knows how to present "facts" to create emotion. But that would be easy. Easy to make, easy to watch. The Wolf of Wall Street is not an easy film. It has been accused of celebrating the actions of Belfort and his merry band of scumbags. Celebrating? No. Warning. Scorsese's project goes far, far beyond a simple evisceration of the debauchery he depicts. He wants to show us exactly why and how Belfort could be so sucessful, the siren song of money and power and drugs and women. As I wrote in my year-in-film piece; This isn't a feting, it's a bio-hazard sign.

Scorsese's movies are frequently very funny; Many, indeed, function better as pitch-black comedy than as dramas. And that, I think, is the source of much confusion around this particular film. That it is a comedy is fairly obvious. Obvious, but mistaken. This is not a comedy, but a satire. A vicous, razored, cold-as-black-ice satire. What does it mean for a film to be satirical? There are three elements; Exagerated accuracy, humor, anger. Consider the scene in which Belfort and his cronies discuss the horrifying activities they anticipate undertaking which a group of dwarves hired  for their entertainment. The scene is not inaccurate as a depiction of the kinds of immature, gross discussions that take place among wealthy young men in the workplace. It displays humor, considerable dry wit, and the strong chemistry between a crew of gifted comedic actors. Scorsese shoots it (and remember, this is a bunch of guys talking around a big table), with the snappy, quick-cutting rythmn of a Three Stooges skit. He does this because the men in their expensive suits and slicked-back hair are the jokes of the scene. They are the punchlines, the grotesques, the twisted little demons. How could anyone watch this scene and not draw the same conclusion? Only, one assumes, if they are as ugly as the subjects of this film.

Ugly, you ask. What about DiCaprio?! Ladies, please relax. I'm not calling Leo ugly. Actually, that's part of the joke. He's one of our best, brightest, movie stars, and ageless even as he approaches 40. And unlike his peers at the top of the Hollywood food chain, DiCaprio is completely ego-less as an actor. Let's face it, Jordan Belfort is a raging asshole, and a complete weasel. Could you imagine Will Smith, for example, playing a role that fit that description? Thought not. Too protective of the old image. Which, incidentally, is why he's fading as a star and DiCaprio is bigger than ever, but that's a whole 'nother article. I digress…. Anyways, DiCaprio's performance is huge, bravura, charismatic, and astonishingly subtle in all the right ways. Belfort is magnetic, but not nearly as smart as he thinks he is. The cracks show, all the insecurity and fear playing out across his face. This is anything but a hero.

But, you ask, what does it all mean? The primary criticism of this film seems to be that it lacks a point, beyond the fairly obvious statement that being a rich asshole is awesome. Not so. Scorsese respects his audience enough to know that they'll see Belfort as he truly is. It is striking that, in this technically dazzling film, Scorsese trusts character, story, and absolutely nothing else. Consider what exactly he chooses to show us. These are the back-alley dealings, the parts you never read about in the papers. Notice that Belfort is profiled by a journalist, and his reaction is one of revulsion. Scorsese's project is to lay bare the beating, corrupt heart of the whole system, to hold it up and let us weigh it on the figurative scales. He does not pass judgement, and some have mistaken that for a lack of viewpoint. People forget, and quickly, how quickly "preachy" films are excoriated. This movie has a viewpoint, and it is one of violent fury. It holds Belfort and his cronies up for our examination, and shouts "Can you believe this shit? Can you fucking believe these are the people we celebrate? What in the Hell is wrong with us?"It all comes down to trust.