11 Brilliantly Controversial Martin Scorsese Moments

3. The Wolf Of Wall Street - Sex, Sex, And More Sex

Above the vulgar uses of money, above even the huge role drugs play in the story, is the rampant sex included in The Wolf Of Wall Street. Jonah Hill masturbates in the middle of a crowded party; stockbrokers cheer as guys take turns getting freaky with the "office skanks" during the work day; nearly every woman in the film loses her clothes at one point. The world of The Wolf On Wall Street may be motivated by money, but it is fueled by sex. Scorsese looks at the sexualization of women as a consequence of how men with power choose to perceive them, something that hits very close to home for anyone who has experienced anxiety over gender inequality. While the stockbrokers at the heart of the film are pitiable, they share a pathetic flaw in how they see women as objects. When Jordan Belfort offers up his love to a female broker who started with his firm early on, he does so platonically after two hours of debasing every woman in sight. By examining the ways in which these men demean women, Scorsese looks at them with a comedy of disgust, evidencing the reality of their error for all to see. Without this grotesque treatment, the audience could be forgiven for sympathizing with the brokers. Scorsese's decision to show the sexualization of their world, however, takes away the last shreds of likability from the protagonist and his cronies.