The Wolf of Wall Street 2013

In 1987, a young and ambitious Jordan Belfort (22) landed a job as a Wall Street stockbroker for L.F. Rothschild under the guidance of Mark Hanna. Initially enthralled by the fast-paced world of high-stakes finance, he quickly became ensnared in the drug-fueled culture that prioritized personal gain above all else. After losing his job following the historic market downturn known as Black Monday - a phenomenon eerily reminiscent of the 1929 stock market crash - Jordan found solace at Investor’s Center, a penny stock brokerage firm on Long Island. His aggressive sales tactics and high commissions soon reaped significant rewards, cementing his status as a rising star in the world of finance.

Jordan’s life took an unexpected turn when he befriended his neighbor, Donnie Azoff (name), who shared his passion for unorthodox business practices. Together, they hatched a plan to establish their own brokerage firm, recruiting Jordan’s childhood friends Robbie Feinberg, Alden Kupferburg, Nicky Koskoff, Chester Ming, and Toby Welch, as well as local drug dealer Brad Bonick. The group set up shop in an abandoned auto repair garage, where Jordan honed his skills as a master salesman, training his cohorts in the art of the “hard sell.” As their pump-and-dump scheme gained momentum, misleadingly inflating the value of certain stocks and allowing them to be sold at artificially high prices, Jordan’s Stratton Oakmont firm began to reap immense rewards. When the scheme’s perpetrators cashed out, the stock’s value plummeted, leaving unsuspecting investors holding worthless securities.

The company’s meteoric rise caught the attention of Forbes magazine, which dubbed Jordan “The Wolf of Wall Street” - a self-proclaimed Robin Hood figure who took from the rich and gave to himself and his loyal band of brokers. The publicity attracted hundreds of ambitious young financiers, causing Stratton Oakmont to expand into even larger offices.

As Jordan’s success reached new heights, he succumbed to a decadent lifestyle marked by lavish spending on prostitutes and drugs. His affair with Naomi Lapaglia, the voluptuous founder of a lingerie company, led to his divorce from Teresa and subsequent marriage in 1991. Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began to take notice of Stratton Oakmont’s questionable practices, setting the stage for a showdown that would forever alter Jordan’s trajectory.

As 1993 unfolds, Jordan’s fortunes skyrocket when he masterfully orchestrates the initial public offering of Donnie’s childhood friend Steve Madden’s women’s shoe design empire. This audacious move yields a staggering $22 million in mere hours, further piquing the FBI’s interest in his dealings. In an effort to conceal his newfound wealth, Jordan opens a secret Swiss bank account under the name of Naomi’s aunt Emma, who happens to reside in London, thereby placing her assets outside the jurisdictional reach of American authorities. To facilitate the transfer of funds to Switzerland, he leverages the services of Brad’s wife Chantalle and her family, who possess European passports, to smuggle the cash into the country.

The tension between Donnie and Brad reaches a boiling point during a heated argument in public, culminating in Brad’s arrest while Donnie makes his escape. As Jordan’s private investigator Bo Dietl reveals the FBI is monitoring his communications, Max, Jordan’s father, advises his son to distance himself from Stratton Oakmont and lie low as his lawyer negotiates a deal to keep him out of prison. However, Jordan finds it impossible to resist the allure of his entrepreneurial ventures and ultimately decides to stay put, earning the enthusiastic support of his friends and employees.

Four years later, in 1996, Jordan, Donnie, and their spouses embark on a luxurious yacht trip to Italy when they receive the devastating news that Emma has succumbed to a heart attack. Jordan proceeds to Switzerland to authenticate her signature and secure the bank account, subsequently traveling to London for the funeral. In an effort to circumvent border patrols, he instructs his yacht captain Ted to alter course for Monaco, but their vessel capsizes in a storm. Following their rescue, the plane dispatched to transport them to Geneva is destroyed when a seagull collides with the engine; Jordan interprets this turn of events as a divine signal to address his escalating drug addiction and makes a concerted effort to kick his habit.

By 1998, Saurel and Koskoff are apprehended for unrelated offenses. As part of their plea bargain, Saurel informs the FBI about Jordan’s activities. With the evidence against him overwhelming, Jordan agrees to gather intelligence on his remaining associates in exchange for leniency. Just as he is preparing to depart, Naomi reveals that she has decided to divorce him and seek full custody of their daughter and infant son. In a cocaine-fueled rage, Jordan strikes Naomi and attempts to make off with his daughter, ultimately crashing his car in the driveway in a reckless display of anger.

As the stakes escalate, Jordan takes a calculated risk by covertly recording conversations at work and discreetly passes a cryptic message to Donnie, cautioning his former partner about the impending danger. However, this act of trust is brutally betrayed when Donnie secretly hands over Jordan’s warning note to the FBI, leading to Jordan’s swift apprehension. The authorities then swoop in on Stratton Oakmont, effectively shutting down the operation. Despite having broken the terms of his agreement, Jordan receives a relatively lenient sentence of 36 months in a minimum-security prison due to his cooperation with the authorities. After serving 22 months and being released in the year 2000, Jordan re-enters the world by offering seminars focused on sales strategies, leveraging his unique expertise to make a living.