"I care very much about aviation."

Rating: 7/10 (21 January 2008)

Considering he is often heralded as one of the finest directors ever to work in Hollywood, I find it rather surprising to discover that my experience with Martin Scorsese is embarrassingly limited. Outside of his all-time classics {'Taxi Driver (1976),' 'Raging Bull (1980)'}, the enjoyable 'The King of Comedy (1983)' and the interesting but uneven 'Gangs of New York (2002),' I had seen very little from the famed director. 'The Aviator (2004)' was a film about which I was very enthusiastic, as glossy biopics are a favourite sub-genre of mine, and its success at the 2005 Academy Awards {5 wins from 11 nominations} suggested that this film was a type specimen. Unfortunately, Scorsese's biopic of Howard Hughes proves a bit too "glossy" for its own good, though there are certainly multiple moments of brilliance amid the fast-moving 170 minutes of skyward drama. Leonardo DiCaprio, finally breaking free of that "baby-faced" persona that had clung to him throughout his career, is impeccable as notorious film producer, aviator and billionaire, whose mental deterioration and descent into reclusiveness is well-documented in history.
'The Aviator' opens in 1927, with a young Howard Hughes directing his first ambitious motion picture, the epic war-time aviation drama, 'Hell's Angels (1930)' {a film that I'm now determined to track down}. Despite countless setbacks, and an expanding budget that stretches into the millions, Hughes is determined to complete his film, whatever the cost. It is in these opening scenes that 'The Aviator' truly hits its stride, and the remainder of the film struggles to keep up; being a director himself, Scorsese obviously delights in retelling an epic film-making tale, and some slick {if not entirely convincing} visual effects help to capture the sheer majesty of Hughe's vision Â– I think that it would have been even more charming for the film to have created these aerial scenes using the same tools that were available in the 1920s {however, there were obvious safety considerations, considering three pilots died during the making of 'Hell's Angels'}. The remainder of the film concerns Hughes' fascination with aviation, his company's tussle with Pan American Airlines, his various female liaisons, and his struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Though he is still perhaps too young to correctly portray a man reaching his forties, Leonardo DiCaprio {in his second collaboration with Scorsese} is excellent in the film's leading role, successfully capturing Hughes' eccentric personality and his OCD-afflicted symptoms. Of course, the film is arguably stolen by Cate Blanchett {in an Oscar-winning role}, who faultlessly channels the spirit of Katharine Hepburn, mimicking her well-recognised tone of voice, mannerisms and general demeanour. Kate Beckinsale {Ava Gardner}, Gwen Stefani {Jean Harlow} and Jude Law {Errol Flynn} also do their best at playing popular Hollywood figures, but these three pale in comparison with Blanchett's epic portrayal. Also memorable in 'The Aviator' are John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin, Ian Holm, and especially Alan Alda {of TV's "M*A*S*H"}, who plays a senator allegedly in the pocket of Howard Hughes' greatest rival, Pan Am owner Juan Trippe.