The Director's Series: Martin Scorsese, No. 4


Throughout 2025 I'm turning my focus to Directors. They help craft the vision on screen that makes a movie work. This year I'm looking at five favorite films from 18 directors I admire and 10 films directed by different women that I have enjoyed. Join me Fridays and Saturdays throughout 2025 as we take this journey.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Kyle Chandler, Margot Robbie, and Rob Reiner
Director: Martin Scorsese
About: We've seen a few different phases of Scorsese's career. He's made some gritty films about troubled people, some films that feel like religious explorations, and a lot of films set in the world of organized crime. This feels like a different kind of mob film. It's the story of Jordan Belfort, based on his memoir of the same name. It's a massive undertaking with a huge cast, an over-the-top story, and some incredible visual sequences. It probably didn't get the credit it deserved the year it was released. It's not an easy story, and the fact Belfort didn't suffer a lot of consequences probably rubbed some people the wrong way. But this is an incredible production and incredibly detailed. It feels like the kind of film that only Scorsese could have made, and I mean that in the best way. If you're not squeamish about content, this is a heck of a ride.

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