Wolf of Wall Street
Boiler Room and Wall Street are both about a young, lean hungry-for-money guy (a) gaining entry to the world of high finance, (b) learning the ropes, making big bucks and getting a little drunk on the juice of it all, and (c) eventually going too far, getting busted and crashing into a hole of shame and disrepute. Now we have a third one to process — a big-screen adaptation of Jordan Belfort‘s The Wolf of Wall Street (Bantam, 9.25.07) with Martin Scorsese directing, Leonardo DiCaprio starring and Terence Winter writing the script.
Belfort’s book is about how he became one of Wall Street’s most predatory film-flam artists, plying the trade of “penny stock” trading. A “Page Six” summary says that Belfort’s Stratton Oakmont group “pulled off pump and dump schemes in which fast-talking boiler-room brokers ran up the prices of shares with fraudulent phone pitches.” The item says that whatever money Belfort makes off the book and the film “would immediately be seized,” that “he still owes a fortune to investors, [having] made $13 million in restitution with $75 million or more in claims.”
Question is, what is there to say about or bring to another high-hormone blue-chip cautionary tale? We know all about greedy young guys in suspenders who will do anything to get to the top, and we know what happens to most of them sooner or later, so….what’s new?
Jeff, your questions are good ones. I just hope Winter, who is an Emmy-winning writer for The Sopranos, has better insight and mojo for this than he did with his disastrous script for the 50 Cent dud, Get Rich or Die Tryin’.
To my mind, there hasn’t been a definitive Wall St. movie yet. Nothing can touch The Bonfire of the Vanities (the book) and American Psycho (the book), they nailed it far better than either of those movies because they weren’t bothered with the overhyped testosterone angle.
I also question the choice of Terence Winter? Get Rich or Die Tryin’ was hella entertaining for being complete crap (thanks mostly to Jim Sheridan), but this project demands someone with a better handle on reality. Eric Roth, anyone?
The answer is simple, Jeff. Neither Wall Street nor Boiler Room had a slo-mo zoom on its protaganist set to Gimmer Shelter. That alone warrants a green light.
“We know all about greedy young guys in suspenders who will do anything to get to the top, and we know what happens to most of them sooner or later,”
The only thing that happened to one of them is that he made billions locking out people’s software to the point that he can continue to have a failing videogame system on the market, and still be in the black.
Thanks, Captain Irrelevant.
Believe it or not, ten years ago Belfort launched a movie company here in LA.
I know, because I was its head of production and development.
The stories I could tell…..
I’m a straight male, and while I like Leo Dicaprio well enough, he is not one of my favorite actors. Wouldn’t crack the top 20. But I have dreams about him. Dreams where we’re just hanging out. I can never remember having a dream about any other actor but in the past couple of years I can remember having at least 10 dreams where I was hanging out with Leo. Is this wierd? What does this mean?
I thought GANGS OF NEW YORK had its moments, THE AVIATOR was a smooth nolstalgia trip through Scorsese’s favorite movie era, and THE DEPARTED was overrated but entertaining. I think DeCaprio is miscast as a brooder in things like Departed or Gangs and is at his best in charming, old schol studio roles like CATCH ME IF YOU CAN or Aviator.
This Wall Street thing, as a smoothie who screws people over, could play to DiCaprio’s strengths while still providing him with the kind of morally challenging character he clearly craves, but, and this is a big but, can Scorsese just once take a break from the guy? He wasn’t even this tunnel visioned in the DeNiro years, and Jeff’s questions about this story being possibly over played are valid.
Another thing to consider though is that Scorsese is announcing new projects about every ten hours, I’ll believe this, like INDY 4, when they are actually on location shooting.
Just reading JW’s brief description and envisioning Leo’s recent emoting, I feel like I’ve already seen this film. Sounds painfully obvious. Even the one about the missionaries to Japan seems more interesting.
Meanwhile, I dream about Emmanuelle Devos. I guess that means I’m not weird?
Is it wrong that I can’t get enough of either Wall Street or Boiler Room? I don’t know what it is about them, I just find them both endlessly fascinating. Not in a “man, those guys are AWESOME” way, mind you.
Jeff, I think you’re the only person around who still remembers there was a film called “Boiler Room.”
Hmmmmmm…..wasn’t it just yesterday that a whole lotta folks were questioning the wisdom of doing The Departed, a “remake” of Infernal Affairs? Didn’t a lot of folks doubt that that would come to anything? I’m taking a wait and see attitude on this one, I think. If Scorsese is committing to a bunch of stuff, it’s only the old adage to strike while the iron is hot.
Maybe the person above dreams of DiCaprio because they obviously, despite their denials, have enshrined him deep in their psyche.
i’m waiting for the dirt, dixon…
hot crooked wall street traders? wow! haven’t seen this before…lately…
I dream of this Greek restaurant called ELBASHA near Valencia
ELBASHA!
LIAR’S POKER by Michael Lewis was a great read about Wall Street.
I’d actually like a movie about the people that are supposed to be catching these guys. Is there anyone out there that are supposed to be watching Wall Street frauds?
Helter Zelter, you are not stupid, you are anti-smart…you make others stupider…when you speak we all lose a few brain cells.
Christ, move to Venezuela already…
Anticipated response: “Well if that murderer and pillager Columbus had never introduced the New World to Europe, Reagan wouldn’t have been able to hijack the Monroe Doctrine to invade Grenada”
‘Boiler Room’ was decent, although it featured a really shitty Uncle Ben take on Alec Baldwin’s “coffee is for closers” cameo in ‘Glengarry…”
Del,
Do you need special magic glasses to read this Helter Zelter person’s comments?
Or just magic mushrooms?
He means D.Z. I don’t know how he was unveiled.
Helter Zelter, you are not stupid, you are anti-smart…you make others stupider…when you speak we all lose a few brain cells.
Christ, move to Venezuela already…
Anticipated response: “Well if that murderer and pillager Columbus had never introduced the New World to Europe, Reagan wouldn’t have been able to hijack the Monroe Doctrine to invade Grenada”
‘Boiler Room’ was decent, although it featured a really shitty Uncle Ben take on Alec Baldwin’s “coffee is for closers” cameo in ‘Glengarry…”
I covered the Boiler Room junket, and the film Wall Street was probably referenced about 5,000 times. Per interview. I’d never seen a Daryl Hannah film treated with such reverence.
yes frank, D.Z. = Daniel Zelter (whoever that is) whom I’ve christened Helter Zelter for his scatterbrained, non-sequitur, chaotic logic.
i worked with a satellite company of stratton on Long Island and believe me no movie has done the penny stock phone hustle justice, guys took major scores over the phone, and the pep talks in the morning were tremendous i mean really emotional, it was a cult like atmosphere..
yes frank, D.Z. = Daniel Zelter (whoever that is) whom I’ve christened Helter Zelter for his scatterbrained, non-sequitur, chaotic logic.
Thnaks. But I think that knowing this somehow makes ME stupider.