The Wolf of Wall Street ****

Does a movie about excess have to be three hours long? That was my worry facing the prospect of sitting through a 17-minute string of previews and a Scorsese-directed work that I knew would have a flow and a rhythm I wouldn't want to interrupt. As it turned out, by skipping the last preview and employing a judicious use of movie house liquids, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, with good content in every frame.

The world of "The Wolf of Wall Street" is full of excess and built on greed, not trust. This was colorfully explained to the rookie Jordan Belfort, who wrote the book about his career that this film depicts, by his first boss Mark Hanna (an intense, cynical, and loopy Mathew McConaughey). Belfort "smiles and dials" until he's paid his dues and passed the exam, ready to be officially a broker.

Then, on his first day as a broker, October 19, he's greeted by the crash of '87. By the end of the month stock markets worldwide had lost more than 20% of their value and he was out of job. Desperate to be the millionaire he promised his wife he would be, he stumbles into a penny stock boiler room in a strip mall. When he learns that commissions are 50%, not 3% for blue chips, he dives in. His sales skills are quickly legendary and he's making great money. With encouragement from an admirer, he forms his own firm.

That's the beginning, and through it all Leonardo DiCaprio, who narrates as well as enacts the whole wild, sordid story, pulls us along, seduces with his charm, swagger, daring, and the honesty of post-conviction hindsight. DiCaprio's skills as an actor make him the perfect choice for this role: a salesman who can play the role while not believing it, but who is so convincing that he can get caught up in his own narrative, as Belfort does in a key scene speaking to his employees.

The excess - drugs, hookers, extravagant parties, expensive suits, the jewelry, baronial houses, luxury yachts - is all on display. But so is the personal side, the good and the bad, the first marriage, the second marriage, the loyalty to the friends and associates, the shocking hurting behavior. It's all on view, in the typically seamless and immersive style I expect from director Martin Scorsese. It's fascinating, funny, and repulsive all at once, and a great portrait of a master salesman and the seamiest side of Wall Street.