The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
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A high-octane look at the meteoric rise and scandalous fall of a corrupt stockbroker on Wall Street.
The story
In 1987, twenty-two-year-old Jordan Belfort becomes a Wall Street stockbroker for L.F. Rothschild, where he is quickly seduced by a drug-fueled culture of wealth. After losing his job following the 'Black Monday' market crash, he joins a boiler room brokerage on Long Island specializing in penny stocks. His aggressive pitching style leads to significant success, eventually prompting him to found his own firm, Stratton Oakmont. As the firm grows, Belfort's reputation as 'The Wolf of Wall Street' explodes, bringing in a flood of ambitious investors while his personal life spirals into a decadent lifestyle of drugs and luxury, all while the authorities begin to notice his fraudulent activities.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following the success of Stratton Oakmont, Jordan Belfort's lifestyle becomes increasingly decadent, leading to a divorce from his first wife and a marriage to Naomi Lapaglia. As the FBI and SEC close in, Belfort attempts to hide his wealth in Swiss accounts using a series of complex maneuvers. After a series of drug-fueled incidents and a failed attempt to bribe federal agents, the firm's activities are exposed. Following a legal battle and a plea deal, Belfort is sentenced to prison. After his release in 2000, he begins a new career as a motivational speaker, teaching the same sales techniques that fueled his rise and fall.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 179
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Martin Scorsese
- Writers
- Terence Winter · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Leonardo DiCaprio · Belfort; Jonah Hill · Donnie Azoff; Margot Robbie · Naomi Lapaglia; Matthew McConaughey · Mark Hanna; Kyle Chandler · Patrick Denham
- Genres
- biographical; dark comedy; crime
- Themes
- greed; corruption; substance abuse; moral ambiguity
- Tone and mood
- dark comedy; high-energy
- Premise and plot tags
- true story; finance; crime; drugs
- Source material / true-story basis
- Jordan Belfort's 2007 memoir
- Content notes
- sexual content; profanity; drug use
- Reception
- The film was a major commercial success and received positive reviews from critics, though it sparked controversy regarding its portrayal of the subjects and its graphic content.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 75 · scale: 100 · review count: 47
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe Award · Best Actor – Musical or Comedy · win; Academy Award · Best Picture · nomination; Academy Award · Best Director · nomination; Academy Award · Best Adapted Screenplay · nomination; Academy Award · Best Actor · nomination; Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film's financing was linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal.; The film was the first major American film to be released exclusively through digital distribution.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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