Nothing screams “Christmas!” like a new Martin Scorsese film. We almost missed out on it this year, but thankfully The Wolf of Wall Street is all set to hit cinemas on Christmas Day. In preparation for the release, which is now barely a month away, a few more bits and pieces of promotional material have hit the Internet, including several new stills and one very bizarre video.
The Wolf of Wall Street stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort, a real-life stockbroker who made millions in fraudulent stock sales. He was eventually indicted in 1998 for money laundering and fraud, after which he published the memoir on which the film is based. Judging by the trailers and images we have seen so far, the story is perfect fodder for a Scorsese film. It marries crime and conspicuous consumption with an unlikable but fascinating central character.
The newly released stills are not really anything special – unless you find DiCaprio and Jonah Hill enjoying a scantily clad woman with packets of money strapped to her a body fascinating. There is also a nice behind-the-scenes look at Scorsese directing DiCaprio and Margot Robbie, as well as DiCaprio seeming a bit contrite.
More interesting than the stills is the video that has just come to light (via The Playlist) of DiCaprio shilling for the real-life Jordan Belfort, who is now out of prison and has become a motivational speaker. It’s just a talking head video, but there’s something odd about an actor giving support to a character that he’s played, especially when said individual committed massive fraud.
Regardless of whether or not Belfort is now a lovely and inspirational man, I have a feeling that the film is not about to be kind to him. Scorsese has a way 0f drawing out sympathy for even the most unlikable characters without ever letting them off the hook. We shall all know if he’s succeeded with Belfort come Christmas.
You can check out both the new stills and DiCaprio’s video for Belfort below.
The Wolf of Wall Street hits cinemas December 25.
