That lyric made popular by Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" about sums up my feelings towards Martin Scorsese and Leonardo Dicaprio's latest collaboration. A movie with plenty of hype and anticipation would eventually peak for me at that stage. Once I sat down and watched it in it's entirety, you realize there's not much more to it than what you have seen in the previews.
You must be thinking, "It's three hours long. You mean to tell me that the preview can encapsulate the premise of the entire movie in just a few minutes?"
Yes, reader- it can. And it did.
The biggest intrigue to the movie is the spectacle of it all. The wealth, excessive spending, womanizing,- and the drugs. Oh, the drugs. It's very similar to watching a car crash- except this car crash happened over a long period of time and one that the viewing public can look at through rose-colored glasses, unlike some.
By now, most of you already know the story of Jordan Belfort- whether by the trailer, or by the book written by the man himself. Belfort rises through the ranks trading stock and eventually starts his own brokerage company with Danny Porush (played by Jonah Hill). By using the old "pump and dump" scheme, Belfort is able to swindle 34 companies out of millions of dollars- using that money to spend on many an extracurricular activity. He eventually gets caught, serves twenty-two months in prison and is still paying back people to this day.
Danny Porush even said, "The book...is a distant relative of the truth, and the film is a distant relative of the book." Porush would also later claim that no one ever called Belfort "the wolf" of anything. Rumors have it Belfort gave himself the name- a true no-no, defeating the purpose of having one in the first place.
While the movie takes cinematic liberty on many an occasion, it does not take away from the elite acting of Leonardo Dicaprio. He oozes charisma and energy. His ability to pour himself into this role is what carries the movie, up to a certain point. His accent is spot on, as is his knack for eliciting disdain. On lesser levels, the same can be said for other actors, such as Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, and Kyle Chandler. McConaughey's roughly ten minute tenure is truly special and entertaining- even if it is without a moral compass.
But it all reaches a deep end, one that can't be tread with just superb acting. After you get past the many scenes of debauchery and excess, the story behind it is flimsy at best.
In a story such as Belfort's, you would wait for the big, bad "wolf" to get his comeuppance. And he does eventually- yet it never feels like he's really in trouble. Yes, the law is after him. Yes, he's cheating on his wife. And yes, he's operating vehicles under the use of drugs and alcohol. The movie spends more than two-thirds of running time on nailing these themes into your head. But the last thirty minutes or so of the "twist" seems rushed. I put twist in quotations, because you likely know what happens before you see the movie. Sorry, I'll let you finish reading the Bible. Wouldn't want to spoil "Passion of the Christ" for you.
The three hour running time demands a huge commitment from the viewer. It also rips away the common two hour formula everyone associates with movies, where they can sense when certain twists and turns are supposed to happen- and eventually, the end. But by the time you get past the second hour, you aren't feeling fulfilled. You just want it to end. The three hours is chalk full of scenes (such as a Lamborghini ride fueled by quaaludes) that seem to drag on and on, seemingly only to set a record for use of profane language.
When it comes right down to it, TWOWS is built like a house of cards. One that doesn't take a big, bad "wolf" to blow down.
Rating (out of five stars): **
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