Scorsese's Biopic Has the Style but Not the Heart

Rating: 7/10 (3 September 2010)

Martin Scorsese's biopic about the rise and fall of eccentric entrepreneur Howard Hughes has energy to spare -- indeed, it barely pauses for breath -- but it remains a somewhat unengaging piece of cinema anyway. It's technically accomplished, but cold and lacking in heart.
Leonardo DiCaprio played Hughes and gave audiences the first indication that he was capable of a mature film career after "Titanic." Cate Blanchett steals every scene she's in as Katharine Hepburn in a performance that manages to be a dead ringer for the real thing without being a mere impersonation. And Alan Alda is deliciously villainous as a corrupt senator. Other casting -- like Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner(!?) and Jude Law as Errol Flynn -- works less well.
Grade: B+