Mumbai: In the words of millionnaire Jordan Belfort himself, “I’ve Been A Poor Man And I’ve Been A Rich Man… And I Choose Rich Every Time!” The Wolf Of Wall Street, the iconic biopic of wall street’s Jordan Belfort, released 10 years ago and changed cinema forever. Breaking perceptions and taboos, the film also broke the record, at the time, for the most f-bombs with 569 instances and a rate of 2.81 times per minute. With its raunchy and unfiltered narrative, the film remains one of the most memorable and prominent films that Martin Scorsese has directed. With the film now available on Lionsgate Play, celebrating its 10th anniversary, here’s a look at the reasons that the film is still iconic to this day!
Margot Robbie
Delivering a career-highlighting performance, Margot Robbie broke into the film industry with an illustrious and swoon-worthy execution of her character. Playing her role to perfection, Margot was lauded for making the film even more memorable (if that’s even possible). While there was initial focus on the intimate scenes she shot, her beauty and charisma overtook people, establishing herself as a pivotal character to the Jordan Belfort story arc.
A realistic depiction of the ‘Rich Life’
Most films showed wealthy people enjoying mansions and cars and yachts. This was one of the first films to truly show the ‘other’ side of the rich life. From alcohol-fueled parties, to excessive narcotics and women aplenty, The Wolf Of Wall Street depicts unseen details and ‘perks’ of being a carefree millionaire.
Jordan Belfort’s sales prowess
Setting Jordan Belfort apart from the rest of Wall Street, is his selling prowess. With the ability to sell a glass of water to a drowning man, Belfort took over Wall Street unlike anyone had ever seen. He reached the peak and soared even higher. This aspect of his life is perfectly encapsulated in the film, down to a T. In classic Scorsese style, the film doesn’t just tell a story, it portrays an emotion. And this innate emotion and need of Jordan is showcased for all to take in.
Sell me this pen
Despite previously mentioning Belfort’s sales acumen, the ‘Sell me this pen’ scene in the film stands above all. The gravity of the scene was such that the script of the film was rewritten to fit in that scene, further showing Jordan Belfort’s natural ability to sell and Leonardo Di Caprio’s spectacular acting to depict the character in such minute detail.
Leonardo Di Caprio
Saving the best for last, we have Leonardo Di Caprio. It comes as no surprise that he is on this list, with a performance that encouraged people to back him for an Oscar. Despite winning an Oscar much later in his career, this film really portrayed his versatility as an actor to the fullest. Going from romantic and drama films to what some would say is his greatest character portrayal of his career, Di Caprio brought Jordan Belfort alive on-screen and how!
Catch The Wolf Of Wall Street on Lionsgate Play.
