Outstanding

Rating: 10/10 (14 February 2005)

What I thought was going to be an overwrought effort marred by a self-conscious pursuit of greatness and clumsy casting turned out to be one of the best movies I have seen in years. I have been thinking about it constantly over the past several days, which is as clear of a sign as any that the film affected me. When I saw the previews, I groaned at the selection of Leonardo di Caprio for the lead. It seemed like an incongruous choice, and one driven more by cloying studio bean-counters than by Scorcese, who has always built his films around iconic leading men. Leo shut me up in a hurry. He was brilliant.
As much as I wanted to anoint him after Gilbert Grape, his work since then has been solid but not extraordinary (Titanic, Iron Mask, the Beach, Gangs of New York). He never quite convinced me that he had the gravitas to carry a film. He started to win me over in Catch Me If You Can. In the Aviator, he simply blew me away.
This is a movie that has everything you would expect from Scorcese, and there are several terrific performances, but clearly this is Leo's film. It is a three-hour showcase of an actor who is finally exploring the limits of his talent. I can now say without qualification that Leonardo di Carprio is a great actor. And the Aviator is a great film.