Since his 1990 magnum opus, Martin Scorsese has made several films that hew rather close to Goodfellas, ranging from the near identical (Casino) to neo-filtered (The Departed). But out of all them, the one that feels most like a genuine successor to the rise and fall of gangster Henry Hill is the rise of fall of banker Jordan Belfort. Picking up a few years after Henry Hill turns snitch, The Wolf Of Wall Street sees the passing of the torch of New York's rich criminals; before it was gangsters who held the power, now, in a global world, it's bankers. However, things are even worse. Whereas, by Hill's own admission, "when broke would go out and rob some more", the bankers in The Wolf Of Wall Street never face that issue - they already have all the money they need. And their antics are that much more extreme for it. Thankfully, the film is more than aware of this. Although it pulls the same hook-and-twist of making the life on screen initially appear alluring and the characters relatable, The Wolf Of Wall Street is definitely more of a comedy, realising that what it's portraying is just too over-the-top and vulgar to present with a straight face. This was sadly lost on the Academy, who not only typically snubbed Leonardo DiCaprio, but actively booed the movie after its Oscar screening.
