On Retreading Old Ground with The Wolf of Wall Street

Martin Scorsese’s latest film, The Wolf of Wall Street has been accused of promoting and glamorising the unethical and inherently greedy behaviour of bankers and brokers. These criticisms are as wholly misplaced as those that may criticise Goodfellas (1990) for promoting gangsterism.

The Wolf of Wall Street’s tagline may be that greed is good, but Scorsese and DiCaprio are here targeting the unscrupulous behaviour of bankers and the top 1% of Americans that engender the inequality that is rife in the country. Scorsese is clearly sending the message that greed is bad and from the outset, with DiCaprio’s monologue to camera reminiscent of Ray Liotta’s in Goodfellas he is drawing direct parallels with his earlier masterpiece. The message is clear, these are the new gangsters.

A more legitimate, but still undeserving criticism would be that Scorsese is retreading old ground, specifically his Goodfellas ground and The Wolf of Wall Street certainly shows the highs of the banker lifestyle, before dropping the façade later in the film; these people (like Liotta and co.) are sociopaths. They may not be killing people, but they still belong in jail. Like Goodfellas, The Wolf of Wall Street is incredibly pertinent. The former was evocative of the organised crime, RICO arrests and political corruptions that America had experienced, while the latter explores the sense of anger that Americans are feeling towards the illegality of bankers, government and the richest 1%.

Again, like Goodfellas The Wolf of Wall Street is anchored by fantastic acting with a lead performance by Leonardo DiCaprio that is phenomenal. This is a role that is quite simply demented. His Jordan Belfort is a drug addict, alcoholic, sex addict and sociopathic adulterer. DiCaprio successfully communicates all of this behind the calm, charming gaze; he is comedy and insanity with a touch of aggression all while remaining seemingly cool. Although this should come as no surprise as his work in films such as The Aviator (2004) and Shutter Island (2010) are equally impressive. 

In short, Scorsese had made a Goodfellas for the recession age, but also a film that will stand the test of time.