Screenplay Review: The Wolf of Wall Street

“There is no nobility in poverty. I’ve been rich, and I’ve been poor and I choose rich every time.”

         Although some might argue the critical and box office success of his recent films have allowed Martin Scorsese to become more comfortable and thus lose some of the edge that made him so great, he has still maintained the trademark kinetic energy that has become synonymous with his filmmaking. This time around he returns to familiar material with Terrence Winter’s adaptation of The Wolf of Wall Street. The script features the main character of Jordan Belfort who develops an insatiable hunger for the good life and all that comes with it regardless of how he achieves it or who he screws over in the process. His rise from rags to riches is one of pure desperation and of calculated hard work and in keeping with Scorsese’s themes as an auteur there are plenty of consequences that come with success including crushing guilt.

       Similar to Goodfellas, the script features a constant voice over by the main character that guides you through the important parts of his life and his own opinions on them. However, unlike Goodfellas which allows its characters to breathe and establish themselves within certain periods of their lives, Wolf of Wall Street moves from one scene of lavishness to the next with quick fire succession. In fact, the entire script is less of a story and more of one giant montage. While this could be done intentionally to highlight how quick the events came and went for the main character, it leaves room to be desired from a narrative standpoint as nothing is completely fleshed out. Old fans will be happy to know the script does not shy away from showing any of the decadence that Belfort came to enjoy whether it is drugs or women. Couple this with the lack of a more traditional narrative and you might find people having the same problems as they did with earlier Scorsese films (unlikable characters doing unlikable things). I imagine the story will improve as a film as it feels tailor made for the big screen.