Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf of Wall Street? Not I!!

The Wolf of Wall Street, the 23rd film directed by master filmmaker Martin Scorsese, will blow your mind and boggle your senses and not necessarily in that order. It is simultaneously hysterical, disturbing, disgusting and, at all times, nothing less than supremely entertaining. Scorsese, now in his 70s, has made yet another astonishing piece of work that has more energy and takes more risks than those made by filmmakers a third of his age. If you're easily offended, you may want to take two or three steps back; this one earns its very hard R rating. It has more F-bombs, nudity, drugs and innuendos than maybe every Judd Apatow movie combined. Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but it's probably not too far off. In fact, word has it that The Wolf of Wall Street has just broken the record for uses of the F-word in a 'mainstream non-documentary film.' Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Based on a novel comprising firsthand accounts from the Wolf himself, the storyline follows notorious stockbroker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio, giving one of the best performances of his career) and his steady rise in the world of stockbroking and his eventual fall in the world of reality. At the beginning of his career, he moves to Wall Street and starts at an esteemed firm under the tutelage of Mark Hanna (Matthew McConaughey in yet another standout performance). As soon as Belfort earns his broker's license, the notorious Black Monday occurs, leaving him jobless. He finds opportunity at a rundown company that specializes in penny stocks and, before long, he is making a small fortune with his swindling, expert sales methods. He and his friend Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill, in yet another standout supporting role) branch off to start their own firm: Stratton Oakmont. After training their employees on how to sell penny stocks to the richest 1% of America, Stratton Oakmont is off to becoming a billion-dollar company and Belfort & co. descend into a world of drugs, sex, endless partying and pure madness.

It's not exactly breaking news that Scorsese is a master of his trade, but can I just take a moment to reflect on what a truly magnificent filmmaker he is? Seriously, the energy never lets up in the entire three-hour running time and not a single moment is wasted. There were some brief moments when I started to feel the extended running length, but these thoughts were quickly washed from my mind by sequence after sequence of absurd hilarity. Scorsese's spirited direction keeps the pace up and running at all times; the editing is brisk and the robust cinematography is top notch. The cast fires on all fronts and meets every challenge thrown their way with the greatest of gusto. This is one of the most fearless ensembles ever assembled by Scorsese and their work should be applauded.

There's been some controversy as to whether or not The Wolf of Wall Street is promoting the outlandishly inappropriate behavior of its primary characters, but Scorsese is neither endorsing nor condemning this conduct. He portrays the man and his dealings with an honest lens without forcing the audience to agree with any point of view. Not once is Belfort portrayed as anything other than a guy who gets away with living a rather degenerate lifestyle. Scorsese just points the camera and shoots and, per his standard style, asks us to be the judge.

CONCLUSION: The Wolf of Wall Street is crude and vile. It's also supremely satisfying entertainment helmed by one of our greatest living filmmakers. Another one to join the ranks of 2013's best and brightest.

FINAL RATING: 4.5/5