Leonardo DiCaprio defends The Wolf of Wall Street

The controversy around Martin Scorsese's latest The Wolf of Wall Street continues to rumble on.

Leading man Leonardo DiCaprio has spoken out in favour of the raucous comedy drama which focuses on the excesses of American financial greed, stating that the production isn't championing the debauchery.

In a chat with Variety, DiCaprio defended the production.

"I hope people understand we're not condoning this behaviour, that we're indicting it," he said. "The book was a cautionary tale, and if you sit through the film, you'll realise what we're saying about these people and this world, because it's an intoxicating one."

Just last week, it was reported that director Martin Scorsese was subjected to boos and heckling at an Academy screening of the movie . But DiCaprio for one was quick to sing the director's visionary praises.

"People - no matter what their attitude is after seeing the film - should understand this is a film that's outside the box and very difficult to get done in this day and age; it almost never happens," he continued.

"Thank god there are people who have taste for experimental filmmaking at this level and who really want to endorse this type of film because if it weren't for then, we wouldn't see any types of films like this."

Our The Wolf of Wall Street review , which showers the movie with a glittering five stars heralds it Scorsese's finest movie for 15 years, and we're keen to know what you think once you've seen it.

The Wolf of Wall Street is in UK cinemas 17 January 2014.