Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Genre: Horror
Sub-categories: Thriller, Werewolves, Homoerotic
Scare Factor: Yawn.
Gore Factor: A few drops of blood
Look-at-these: No Nudity, Scantily-Clad Men

Synopsis: On the advice of a bartender familiar with the Wall Street crowd, Jeff applies to the Wolfe Brothers brokerage firm for his dream job as a stock broker. He is forced to abandon his love and values for cunning and instinct. After a change of heart, he finds that leaving the brotherhood is harder than joining.

Analysis: Wolves of Wall Street is the latest offering in David DeCoteau's series of homoerotic thrillers. Having already graduated from vampires, warlocks and killer leeches, he is ready to tame the elusive werewolf. Werewolves have often been used at a metaphor for change. It's the very nature of a lycan to transform into his/her were-identity at the most inopportune time. In Ginger Snaps the werewolf was used to symbolize the transition through puberty and the pangs of growing up and growing apart, but DeCoteau examines a far more sinister side of humanity in Wolves of Wall Street. It's the corruptive influence of power and money that are the basis of this incarnation of the werewolf. The taint of such things is all too real, and DeCoteau succeeds thus far.

October 2003 was not the ideal time for the release of a film expounding the stock trade as a breeding ground for corruption. Americans recognize and have already begun to move past the IPO scams that dotted the past decade. 2000's Boiler Room already consumed much of the interest in a profession that no longer appeals to the masses. More than that, it seems almost ludicrous that anyone -- even a naive country bumpkin -- would be so hellbent on pursuing such a move on (hopefully) the end-trail of a years-long recession. It's true that the timeline for Wolves of Wall Street is never firmly established, but it seems natural to assume that it occurs at present. It would be incumbent upon the filmmaker to establish otherwise. However, even this contrarian's point of view does nothing to discredit the valid symbolism. The wolf and the broker are cunning, guided by instinct rather than thought. They are wired to achieve the one thing that brings them pleasure, the kill (or the sale). It's the lure of power and money that corrupts the soul and heralds the conversion to something less human. Surely the profession is nothing as sinister as Hollywood makes it out to be. I know plenty of ethical and friendly people in finance. It simply makes the film more suspenseful, even if unappetizingly stereotypical.

William Gregory Lee is hot as pretty boy Jeff. His soft, gentle look suits his naive character's immigration to the big city and fits the taste that suits my palette. Compared to Lee, the rest of the cast is filler that could have well been played by the likes of of such fuglies as Rob Schneider. DeCoteau seems to have toned down the homoerotic element from his earlier films, which is the opposite direction that I was hoping for. Jeff is given a girlfriend, Annabelle, whose only purpose is to represent the shell that Jeff leaves behind in pursuit of his dream job. Don't get me wrong, Elisa Donovan is a rockin' redhead who is as exciting emotionally as she is sexually. She is simply the last holdout in DeCoteau's transition from marginal homoerotic thriller to gay horror. It would be the complete answer to the female sexploitation in horror. I suppose that male sexploitation wouldn't right the wrong, but it would make things equitable for the audience if not the cast. It's a niche whose time has finally come. Besides, how many homophobic guys are going to watch a bunch of sexy dudes trot around in their boxer briefs, regardless of whether they're making out with guys or girls?

The photography in DeCoteau's films is always superior in quality, but I also wouldn't characterize his ventures as low budget. Numerous films with a definitive theme translates to a solid financial backing. Oddly enough, as a gay man his knack for homoerotica isn't quite as skilled as in his hetero-porn days of Morgana. The special effects in Wolves of Wall Street left a lot to be desired. The metamorphosis from man to beast was done well, but it's a marginal component of the film that is eclipsed even by the slow-placed plot. Unfortunately, the lack of gore, effects and suspense leave the audience high and dry in the thrills department. Luckily, William Gregory Lee is there to fill the void with shallow satisfaction.

Final Comments: If you're a David DeCoteau fan, then you should do your best to check out Wolves of Wall Street. The film drags at times, but will leave the audience satisfied with what it came for.

DeCoteau's Homoerotic Thrillers: The Brotherhood I, II, III, Leeches!, The Frightening, Voodoo Academy

DeCoteau's Non-Homoertoic Thrillers: Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, Witchouse, Ancient Evil: Scream of the Mummy

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older