Better than I thought and an unsurprising Oscar contender

Rating: Null/10 (6 February 2005)

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs
A film chronicling the first year in the life of Howard Hughes,the aviation expert and movie mogul from the 1920s to 1940s period of his life.
What surprised me more than anything about the film was the surprisingly commanding lead performance from Leonardo Di Caprio,who delivers a very good portrayal of the arrogant,domineering,self-absorbed and increasingly freakishly eccentric Hughes,working his way through two relationships to women he never really loved and working his way through an assortment of other arm candy for use at film premieres and so-on yet his real passion lay almost autisticly in flying.Di Caprio has good support in the shape of Alec Baldwin as the head of his rival air company Pan Am Airlines,Kate Blanchett as his first girlfriend,actress Katie Hepburn,and Kate Beckinsale as his second girlfriend,movie actress Ava Gardner.That's not to mention a cameo from Jude Law (surprisingly good for once!) as movie heart-throb Eeroyl Flynn (it says a lot that the best thing I've seen him in so far has seen him with screen-time of just about a minute!)Yet as good as they are,it is simply Di Caprio who carries the film.He deserves to win the Oscar.
The film is also served well by a good script,with nice dialogue.But it's weakness is probably the story,which lacks coherence slightly,Nevertheless,it's a very good film,very well made and very deserving to win at the Oscars.*****