But because there’s no explicit condemnation, a lot of people read that as an implied endorsement of this behaviour.
good provocation.
DiCaprio does too, and during our conversation he took pains to explain Wolf’s ambitions and how the public’s mixed reaction might reflect our own ambivalence toward the way people like Belfort represent an aspect of the American psyche. Part of the interview discusses the movie’s ending, which, being based on a true story, is a matter of record. Still, consider this a spoiler alert for those who aren’t familiar with the story.
Wolf, more than your other movies with Scorsese, is really your initiation into his alpha male movie world, a place that’s equal parts exhilarating and repulsive.
“Yeah. It started with Mean Streets. That’s how Marty came in. The difference between him and a lot of filmmakers is that he doesn’t really pass judgment on these characters. He leaves that up to the audience because I think he’s analysing something within our very nature in a culture.”
“People want to see the wake of the destruction. But to Marty, that’s been done so many times. It was too much of a traditional approach to understanding what makes these people completely selfconsumed and hedonistic. What is the drug behind that? What is the fascination with that? If a movie can give you a greater understanding of our darker nature -whether you agree with it or not — that’s the best thing a film can be to me.”
But going from the reaction since the film opened, it would seem some moviegoers need some clearer sense of judgment.
“But movies that do that don’t last. If you look at so many films that have been about certain subject matter, even about gangsters, there’s always an indictment. Those movies don’t hold up. What lasts is a filmmaker being honest