Some Turbulence for "The Aviator"

Rating: 8/10 (22 February 2005)

"The Aviator" is the biopic of maverick film producer and aviator Howard Hughes as directed by Martin Scorsese. In "The Aviator", we follow certain events of Hughes life (those determined important by the filmmakers) episodically during a time span of roughly twenty years.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays Hughes in a solid performance. While DiCaprio does nothing extraordinary, his occasional nervous ticks and varying degrees of a furrowed brow add a nice element to the film. Cate Blanchett in a supporting role as one of Hughes' love interests Katherine Hepburn is quite impressive. Blanchett obviously put great effort into the part as characterised by her rapid, accented dialogue. Alec Baldwin (at his sleazy best), Ian Holm and Alan Alda also put in commendable acting efforts. Sadly underdeveloped are the characters portrayed by John C. Reilly and Kate Beckinsale. Reilly's character is Hughes' second in command, yet throughout the film, he only seems to take notes and complain about Hughes' spending habits. Beckinsale as Ava Gardner essentially replaces Blanchett after Hughes' romance with the latter falls apart. However, while Blanchett fared prominently, Beckinsale floats in and out of the picture.
Perhaps the biggest problem with "The Aviator" is its plot. While most of the plot is actually quite good, there are two serious missteps. The first is in a short scene that starts the movie and is later recalled in a flashback. It tries to link Hughes' mental problems to the single event of his mother bathing him (when he is at a preteen age) while offering neurotic advice (whether this should also explain Hughes' obsession with 'mammories' and milk, I do not know). The second is the brief reappearance of characters whose use in the movie had already ended. There are several examples of this: Blanchett returns much later to see Hughes, but does not and never returns, Jude Law appears for one scene and then reappears in a 'walk on' part only and Beckinsale reappears to 'save' Hughes and then leaves.
Visually, "The Aviator" is beautiful. Scorsese uses his full array of camera tricks to get the desired effect. Scenes set in different periods have different looks. The CGI, while not seamless, is not overused. An added bonus is a spectacularly filmed aeroplane crash sequence that is actually quite startling.
In terms of directing, the film marks another excellent effort by Martin Scorsese. While not as good as "Goodfellas", "Taxi Driver" or "Raging Bull", it is on par with efforts such as "Gangs of New York". As mentioned previously, the Director uses all his camera tricks expertly to show the viewer what the character is feeling. Interestingly, the director chooses to express some of Hughes' eccentric behaviour in a humorous tone.
In conclusion, "The Aviator" is an excellent motion picture with mild annoyances. Fans of Scorsese, DiCaprio and Howard Hughes should not be disappointed, but the film's running time of just under three hours may be too much for some.