I've seen it & it's an orgy of predators in glossy hi-definition. The real story is always going to be worse, this movie though, is quite something. Leonardo DiCaprio's portrayal of the "wolf" is to make him seem as just a young up-and-coming broker who "fell" on hard times (he didn't) & by luck (his first wife found the job advertisement) he took over a small penny stock firm & made millions. It's the most accurate (currently I believe) example of the modern normalization of psychopathy on film, & I don't want to give a proper review of such a story but I have to say, the hype for this ("Oscar season") shows how people get swept up in such a pathological maelstrom.
One movie critic had an issue with the movie due to his inability to care for the lead "character" & nothing more, which is understandable, but his reasoning I feel, was off. He & others gave kudos to other movies that contained clear pathological individuals all throughout because they had an "entrance" into the characters, that they had "charm" etc.
Ok, so here's what the movie is like. Seen "Goodfellas?", "Wall Street?", "Boiler Room?" Ok. All of those had a clear dark edge to them... except for the ever-popular "Goodfellas." Which is why this movie is the one that is likened to it & for less critical minds, (and all that that entails) it was a hoot & a riot filled with loveable anti-heroes. I think that this movie is insidious compared with the "wise-guy" classic as that one at least, was obvious. Impulsivity, womanizing, & all the rest that's wrapped up in the nostalgia of an age where mere mortals were "sticking it to the man" by grouping together & taking what they deserved, not to "die like a schmuck" like their parents or whoever. Robbery, arson, murder, in a "swinging sixties" kind of feel.
And that's exactly how this movie operates. Using the more memorable & most enjoyed scenes from the above, it basically extends that... for almost three hours. Crazy huh? I kid you not, he whips his cohorts into a frenzy at times, reminiscent of Hitler speeches at those mind-warping rallies that the Nazis held. All to get his employees to swindle as much money from people in one working day, I'm telling you he was holding sermons in front of them with a microphone & everything. Barely half-way into the movie they all love him (except for his wife who he ditched & the FBI) & would do anything for him. The weirdest point was when (i'm assuming here, as my attention waned due to the excess of it all) the firm made so much money in one day, a half-naked marching band burst out of nowhere & everyone went berserk. That was actually a recurring theme, no one seemed to do any "work", it was like a crazed fraternity house party all the time. Very strange.
In short, a raggedy group of friends made a get-rich scheme, got rich & everyday was a rampant narcissistic, money-grabbing/swindling, drug-fuelled alcohol-laden orgy. One newscaster said it was "the great Gatsby" but funny. I haven't seen that flick, but I know it's another orgy of voracious avarice. Throw in a deranged mind & you could call it a modern Caligula.