MIXED REVIEWS

'The Wolf of Wall Street' premieres in NY

'The Wolf of Wall Street,' a Scorsese epic of American greed

Critical reaction has been mixed, with some calling it a masterly depiction of American greed culture while others have found its full-on depiction of wild parties and excess stultifying.

DiCaprio, though, has mostly received raves, with trade publication Variety saying, "DiCaprio doesn't just play this part; he inhales it, along with everything else that goes up Belfort's nose and into his bloodstream."

The 39-year-old DiCaprio read Belfort's no-holds barred, unapologetic book about six years ago and knew he had to portray the cocaine-snorting, fast-talking financial bad boy on the big screen, saying the biography was a reflection of "everything that is wrong in today's society".

The excessive ways of the financial industry came under close scrutiny following the 2008/2009 global financial crisis and authorities have clamped down on banks to avoid a repeat.

Reckless lending brought several European banks and some governments to their knees during the crisis, which is still playing itself out in a number of euro zone countries.