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Jordan's Deposition: I Do Not Recall, Explained

The Wolf of Wall Street · 2013

Capítulo 25 de 30 · 4'57"

Everyone at Stratton Oakmont faces the same questions, and everyone gives the same answer: "I do not recall that." On the surface it's a wall of careful non-answers; underneath, it's the firm's whole strategy - deny everything, admit nothing, and wait for the government to run out of patience.

InterrogationsInvestigationSaying noConfrontingPolice & suspectB2fastamerican

Key moments

Start here, then watch the full scene
  1. The SEC News and Brad's Death

    0:22–1:12
    50s
  2. The I Do Not Recall Depositions

    1:57–3:14
    77s
  3. ❝ Monólogo · 6 frases Jordan's order to crush the stock

    Each line raises the stakes from an order to an open threat.

    4:29–4:44
    14s
  1. ❝ MonólogoJordan's order to crush the stock6 frasesPracticar ↗

Jordan's Deposition: I Do Not Recall, explained

What happens

This chapter moves from Jordan's TV interview, where a commentator says he "welched on his deal with the SEC," into the depositions that follow. Stratton employees are questioned one by one and answer almost everything with "I do not recall." Later, on a yacht in Italy, a call about Steve Madden selling shares sends Donnie into a rage.

What's really going on

The joke of the deposition scenes is that the most powerful firm on Wall Street has exactly one defense: forget. Jordan's men don't plead ignorance because they're innocent; they do it because there is no legal risk in saying "I do not recall that." The film undercuts them constantly. One witness can't remember a single name but suddenly cares whether the lawyer will finish his Danish. Another turns a money question into a question about his hair. The point is that these are practiced performances, and the interrogators know it. When Jordan later narrates "Nobody could arrest us and nobody could prove I was still running Stratton from a yacht," he sounds untouchable - but the subpoenas, the depositions, and the panicked phone call about Steve Madden are all the machinery that will eventually undo him.

Key lines & what they mean

“He is back in the ocean. Happy hunting.”
A commentator's mocking sign-off: with his SEC deal broken, Jordan is back where the predators swim, and the hunters are welcome to go after him.
“I do not recall that.”
The catch-all denial every Stratton employee leans on during the depositions - a way to refuse an answer without technically lying under oath.
“Nobody could arrest us and nobody could prove I was still running Stratton from a yacht.”
Jordan's narration claims the move abroad puts him beyond reach, since no one can arrest him or prove he still runs the firm.
“Jordan Belfort just welched on his deal with the SEC.”
The news that Jordan broke his settlement with the SEC, which is treated as reopening the hunt for him.

Theme

  • Corruption — A firm under investigation answers every question with the same denial, showing how organized white-collar crime protects itself.
  • Justice — Subpoenas and depositions close in on Jordan, and the pressure finally reaches his yacht in Italy.

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Ideas clave

Lo que te llevas
  1. Stonewalling can sound polite when the words stay flat.
  2. Denial is the firm's real product in this scene.
  3. A rumor of betrayal is enough to trigger a vendetta.
  4. Jordan turns panic into a command within seconds.

Preguntas frecuentes

La pregunta, luego la frase
Why does everyone say "I do not recall" instead of denying the crimes?

Saying you can't remember is safer than lying under oath. It stalls the investigators, keeps answers vague, and avoids perjury charges, so "I do not recall that" becomes the firm's default reply.

Who is the commentator saying Happy hunting?

The line is spoken like a television or radio commentator reacting to the news that Jordan welched on his SEC deal - his way of saying the authorities are free to chase Jordan again.

Why does Donnie tear up the subpoena and curse the government?

Donnie treats the subpoena as a personal insult and tears it up in front of the office. It shows how little the firm fears the government early on, before the depositions wear everyone down.

What happens when Steve Madden starts selling shares?

Jordan and Donnie get a call that Steve Madden is unloading huge blocks of his own stock, which threatens the value they've built around it. Jordan orders clients to sell too, to drive the price down in revenge.

Why do Jordan and Donnie go to Italy?

They were advised not to leave the country, so they go to Italy anyway and try to run Stratton from a yacht, giving orders to their deputy. Jordan claims it makes them safer because they can't be arrested or tied to the firm.