Why 'The Wolf of Wall Street' is a stone cold classic

I loved The Wolf of Wall Street when it first came out. I couldn't stand the childish griping about its language, sexual explicitness and copious drug use. I also couldn't fathom how anyone could interpret it as an endorsement of capitalist hedonism.

And now that I've bought it and watched it a second time -- guess what? I love it even more.

America needed a film like this and it needed it last year when a glut of safe, feel-good movies were coming out just in time for the Christmas season.

This movie has a lot of GoodFellas in its DNA. It's funny and shows you the allure of Wall Street excess but then it turns ugly, raw and quite scary.

The much-discussed last shot is an indictment of the audience watching the film and the characters in it. Pretty ballsy for a movie directed by a man in his early 70s.

That was one of the things that really struck me watching the film for the first time. It's such an exuberant,"young"-seeming film. It didn't surprise me that everyone I know under 30 loved the movie while older audiences appeared to be somewhat appalled by it.

Also, something must be said for the winning streak Leonardo DiCaprio is on. Besides maybe George Clooney, there is no other movie star who's had the track record this guy has had over the last decade.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Part of his genius is that he is believable in nearly every role from start to finish. Here he is both callow boyish youth and rakish aging rebel. The monologues he delivers in this movie are electrifying and sear through the screen. Chiwetel Ejiofor gave last year's most emotionally gratifying male performance, but DiCaprio gave the fiercest.

I think part of the reason this movie was so polarizing was that it made no attempt to sugarcoat the outright contempt these so-called "Masters of the Universe" have for the 99 percent.

DiCaprio delivers a nasty speech at one point about how "there's no nobility in poverty" and its clear that people in this world wholeheartedly believe that.

These aren't people who are necessarily educated or born rich. But when they accumulate wealth they convince themselves it is because they had the strength to make it so, and those who don't are "losers."

This fascist mindset isn't just a fact of life for a certain segment of the population. It's ingrained in a lot of Americans' psyches. And that is unsettling.  DiCaprio's character says "their money was better off in my pocket...I knew how to spend it better." A pimp could and would say the same thing but because of his character's profession he is celebrated instead of reviled. Go figure.

Jonah Hill also deserves an amazing round of applause. His byplay with DiCaprio rivals Pesci and De Niro at their best. The scene where he 'explains' why he is married to his own cousin is a bit of comic genius. He has grown from a gifted young comedian to a fully fledged great dramatic actor in a few short years. Along with Will Ferrell, I think he may be the most talented of the second generation "Frat Pack".

I get it, a movie about people without a moral compass -- let alone a 3-hour one, is not for everyone's tastes. I guess I'm someone who is more attracted to and interested in flawed/bad people then unabashed good/nice ones. I'm something of a pessimist. I don't think most people are well-intentioned and decent. I'm the kind of person who laughs when a character says a girl looks so good he'd let her "give me AIDS."

For me the key scene in The Wolf of Wall Street comes early. DiCaprio does a cold call with a target and openly mocks him with his physical gestures while he reassures him with his voice. His colleagues barely suppress their laughter in the background. That's what these trolls are doing. They are laughing at us while they rob us blind.

Is it subtle? No. Is it right on? Absolutely.