Dicaprio is finally in his prime, Scorsese remains in his prime

Rating: 9/10 (30 January 2005)

Even though Leonard Dicaprion still looks like a baby, Scorsese and his last two films have helped turn him into one of today's finest young actors. Dicaprio (30 years old, I believe) brings bright eyes and baby faced excitement to the young drill bit tycoon from Texas, Howard Hughes, trying to piece together his epic, grand scaled first film "Hell's Angels." Just when he's got it about wrapped up, he realizes that the public is no longer interested in silent films and wants to re-shoot his film for sound. Months and millions later he gets it done. This is just the opening act of Scorse's obligatory epic, and although this surely is not Marty's best picture or most personal piece, we can see a parallel character in Hughes to that of Scorsese. Like "Gangs of New York," "Kundun," "The Age of Innocence," and "The Last Temptation of Christ" Scorsese has created a world from the past that he had never seen with his own eyes but had vision enough to imagine it and imagination enough to direct his actors to exist in it. Dicaprio as his lead man in the last two Scorsese pictures is not his new Deniro but a young actor with cooperation enough to create these worlds and the dark (and light) side of human nature that exist within them. It is time this year that Scorsese is finally given his Academy Award for Achievement in direction. This film is not just an excuse to give him an award, but rather a showcase of one of America's finest filmmakers still very much in his prime.