slop101

You kidding? I was laughing at them and totally wanted them to get caught. I was kinda pissed that he didn't do any real jail time. Nothing would've been more satisfactory than if Belfort was rotting away in jail getting his ass raped nightly.

Rypro 525

the so called "showy" stuff is in the drug sequences.

Deakins did Prisoners and Richardson prob did the reshoots on world war z (imdb lists him but he went uncredited

Finisher

That's how I felt for most of the movie but turned a bit toward the end. Reminiscent of Breaking Bad. They're doing horrible shit but on some level they're so successful you root for them not to lose the spoils (even though the spoils came by hurting others). But, yeah, he's a scumbag who got off easy.

Mr. Cinema

Saw this on Monday and loved every minute of it. It's a solid 175 minutes yet the time flies by. I thought this was one of Leo's better performances. I look forward to him getting snubbed again for an Oscar nomination.

brayzie

DiCaprio promoting Jordan Belfort

Troy Stiffler

You guys realize that Belfort's main business wasn't illegal, nor really theft - right?

All of the drug use and office debauchery was crude. But there's nothing wrong with convincing people to buy penny stocks. Some of those companies do take off and people do make money. But they're high risk stocks.

That was his main business. And that's what we saw happening at his company (in addition to banging ugly hookers).

The illegal thing that he did was manipulating stocks in other ways. For example - having inside info and giving money to his friends to buy stocks that actually belonged to him. And then having his friends deliver dividends in cash.

Now, people buy penny stocks on their own, using companies like Etrade. People buy it themselves, without any salesmen convincing them on the phone. I have friends who buy penny stocks, and usually lose. But you buy them, hoping that the company has a service or product that takes off. Everyone wishes they bought Ebay stock when it was $1. In the modern world - with everything being searchable on the internet - the cold call technique is outdated. If you want to invest in a penny stock from a company developing a radar system (or whatever his first call in the movie was), you just Google the company and decide for yourself.

Belfort did not "rip off" Average Joes. Average Joes bough high risk, entry level stocks. He hasn't "ruined" anyone's life. Those Average Joes were talked into buying the low-cost stocks. And, during their pitch, they use high-pressure salesman tactics (which is a no-no at the NASD).

That doesn't excuse being a douche, the debauchery, nor the inside trading. Just saying that guy is nothing like Madoff. Madoff took people's money and told them they were making 20% interest - when the money was actually gone.

slop101

Well, I think the movie slags the system within which he operates, that allows him to become rich by being a douche, just as much as it slags him for being one.

redrum

Leo has to get a oscar for this

So fucking awesome

Defiant1

I predict he won't even get a nomination. He's going to have to wait until he's old and ugly before he gets the statue.

4 of the 5 nomination slots are seemingly sewn up with Ejiofor, McConaughey, Hanks, and Dern. And I see either Redford or Phoenix getting the 5th slot. Sorry Leo, maybe next time.

Greg MacGuffin

Yeah, I think Leo gave one of the best performances of the year, but there's no way he gets the Oscar.

Why So Blu?

ArcLight is presenting a special Q&A with Leo this Sunday at their Hollywood location. It's a sold-out show.

Patman

Wow, supposedly someone counted 506 instances of utterance of the F-bomb in the theatrical cut...

rexinnih

But what's the body count?!?!!

dsa_shea

The difference between what these guys do and what happens in Breaking Bad is the conscious decision of the consumers. The meth addicts have made a decision to be that where the victims of fraud here are robbed of their money by scandalous stock swindlers. I have very little sympathy for those that get involved in drugs and let their lives go to waste and felt a bit easier cheering for White than these guys.

brayzie

They're both selfish, regardless of the differences of their original circumstances. Yeah, White's situation is pretty dire but he decides to fuck up his own community just to keep his family financially secure.

bootsy

Wolf is not even close to Goodfellas and Dances is definitely not even close to 12 Years. Stop with the bullshit.

Mondo Kane

It's going to be quite hard to forget a film like this.

Coral

Way to spoil a movie.

slop101

It's easily Scorsese's best since Goodfellas, so I'd say that makes it at least "close".

But I wouldn't compare 12 Years with Dances at all. And if 12 Years wins over Wolf, I don't think it will be much of an upset, if at all.

Finisher

Guy was charging ridiculous commissions selling garbage stock that he would pump and dump. Most of these people couldn't afford to lose money and taking the movie at face value he sought them out. Guy was absolutely ripping people off. Comparing what he was doing to someone spending 5 bucks in commission betting on a legitimate penny stock is laughable.

jessecrx

The fact still remains that those suckers(and they were indeed suckers)had the final word. They could have simply hung up the phone instead of buying into a sales pitch. Nobody was forced to buy anything. Yes, Leo's character was a slime ball but I don't feel the least bit sorry for those buying into something that was too good to be true.

I totally agree with everything Troy Stiffler posted.

Troy Stiffler

It's a spoiler to say that

OldBoy

i was sorry i saw it.

Why So Blu?

He released a double biography set called: The Wolf of Wall Street & Catching the Wolf of Wall Street. I'm assuming they pulled material from both novels to make the film and it's probably why the first cut was 4 hours long. Each book is over 400 pages, I think.

bootsy

This is not true either. I still prefer The Departed over WOWS. WOWS is good but not in The Departed or Goodfellas case.

And 12 Years winning over WOWS is not an upset. 12 Years is the superior movie. 12 Years is the best movie I saw in 2013.