'The Wolf of Wall Street' Is Here. Are You Ready, UK?

The Wolf of Wall Street is set for release in the UK today. The big screen adaption of Jordan Belfort's memoir stars Leonardo Dicaprio and teams him once again with Gangs of New York director Martin Scorsese.  Yesterday the film received five Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for DiCaprio.  

Leonardo DiCaprio [left, centre] in Scorsese's 'The Wolf of Wall Street' 

Critics have been largely positive about the film, praising its humour and DiCaprio's performance.

David Thompson of The New Republic said,  "DiCaprio has hinted before that comedy might be his natural calling - think of Catch Me If You Can - but his energy here is not just fun, it's discovery." Which was echoed by Damon Wise of the Radio Times who said, "This is an exhilarating story of decadence and debauchery, made all the more thrilling by DiCaprio's charismatic and physical lead performance." 

However the one overwhelming criticism seems to be the film's length. At a running time of just under 2 hours, some critics found it all just a bit too much, "Every time I looked at my watch, the hands seemed to have stayed still," wrote The Financial Time's Nigel Andrews.

Critics are also divided on whether this can be considered among Scorsese's finest work, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian thought not, saying. "The Wolf of Wall Street does not quite have the subtlety and richness of Scorsese's very best work." However Andy Lea of The Daily Star disagreed, writing, "Scorsese's best film since Casino, his most provocative since Goodfellas and by far the funniest film he's ever made."  

Jonah Hill Has Scored An Oscar Nomination For 'The Wolf of Wall Street'

Much praise has also been lauded on the film's witty, fast-paced dialogue with critics generally enjoying the tales of excess and its fast paced nature, "Scorsese unleashes a furious, yet exquisitely controlled, kinetic energy, complete with a plunging and soaring camera, mercurial and conspicuous special effects, counterfactual scenes, subjective fantasies, and swirling choreography on a grand scale," said the New Yorker's Richard Brody.

Contactmusic.com's very own Rich Cline positively reviewed the film calling it, "an often thrilling series of set-pieces that roll out in waves of comedy, tragedy and farce as these people play on the edge of an abyss."

Watch the trailer for The Wolf of Wall Street: