A new Scorsese classic

Rating: 10/10 (25 January 2005)

Martin Scorsese's "heroes" usually aren't heroes at all; rather they end up being only one of the unbalanced characters through whom we see the entire film. Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation, Goodfellas, Casino, Bringing out the Dead and Gangs of New York--who would want to really be any of these guys? Even Jesus has issues.
In the Aviator, Scorsese has made a slicker, more Hollywood friendly film, and it will likely be rewarded with Oscars for his more accessible approach. But the themes still remain: a troubled misfit attempts to shape the world to meet his wants, but the world is not his opponent--once again, it is his demons.
There will be people who criticize this film because it's not as "Scorseseque" as most of his work, but come on, guys, not much has changed really. The editing and special effects might diminish the grittiness that permeates most of this great director's work, but Martin Scorsese is at his peak as a storyteller here; the film is three hours long but I didn't even know it until I looked at a clock after exiting the theatre. It feels like it plays in half that time--the movie is a very entertaining masterpiece about one of the most influential and complicated industrialists in American history; the man Howard Hughes was a true visionary, and dare I say in the world of aviation... apparently an artist. But like so many artists, this one is troubled, and DiCaprio plays him very, very well.
I still liked Gangs of New York better, but this is a great movie and if it nabs Scorsese the key Oscars he has never called his own (Best Picture, Best Director) then he can finally fulfill that tiny blank space on his resume. If not, who cares? Scorsese doesn't need an Oscar to prove he's the greatest of all American filmmakers.