Impressive biopic of a stunning individual

Rating: 8/10 (5 August 2010)

Martin Scorcese's biopic of the billionaire, movie mogul, aviator and playboy Howard Hughes is a riveting, enthralling epic that successfully examines both the lifestyle and psychology of one of the twentieth century's most intriguing individuals.
The Aviator details Howard Hughes' life in the twenty years between 1927-47, which includes his career as a movie producer/director, his achievements as an aeronautical designer and aviator, as well as the glamorous women he dated and the political problems he faced after World War Two. It also details his struggle with obsessive compulsive disorder and his fear of germs, which would greatly hinder him in his later life.
The Aviator is aided to a large extent by the brilliant performances of it's stellar cast. Leonardo Di Caprio successfully sheds off his Titanic heart-throb image, proving that he is one of today's most talented actors with his stunning portrayal of Hughes. Di Caprio perfectly captures the eccentricity, arrogance and passion that drove Hughes to fame. But the moments that most impress in this tour de force performance are the scenes in which Hughes starts to spiral into the obsessive compulsive madness that plagued him in his later life. It is in these scenes that Di Caprio displays some of his finest acting ever. The only faults with his performance is that Di Caprio never fully captures Hughes' voice, although he does nail his intonation. And he never really physically resembles Hughes until the final scenes. However, these criticisms are merely pedantic observations, and they do not detract at all from the brilliance of his performance.
But the credit can't all go to Di Caprio. Cate Blanchett is equally impressive as Katherine Hepburn. Blanchett perfectly captures the voice, mannerisms and attitude of Hepburn, and infuses her performance with such humanity and insecurity that it comes across as so much more than a simple impersonation. Blanchett rightfully won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar of 2004 for this film, and continued to prove that she is the most versatile actresses next to Meryl Streep.
Scorcese shows off his awesome directing talents again, providing a glamorous yet often disturbing portrait of a tortured genius. And he proves that he is capable with more than we expected of him with the perfectly executed flight sequences. The use of period colour photography is also intriguing. This is most evident in the scene where Hughes and Hepburn play golf, and the grass appears more turquoise than green.
However, the movie does fall short of perfection. One of it's main faults (in my opinion) is that it does not focus enough on the cast as an ensemble. Di Caprio and Blanchett are the only actors who are indulged enough, and I felt that more screen time should have been dedicated to the performances of Alec Baldwin, Alan Alda, Ian Holm, John C Reilly and Kate Beckinsale. To his credit, Alda makes the most of his screen time, and secured an Oscar nomination for his performance. But I would still have liked to have seen more development of the minor characters, particularly Baldwin's.
The film also skips over important details of Hughe's life, including his fascist politics, which are conveniently airbrushed out of the film to portray Hughes as an all-American hero, which I feel is wrong. His politics should have been acknowledged. It is these faults that prevent The Aviator from achieving the greatness of other Scorcese films such as Raging Bull and Taxi Driver.
However, if you forgive the film it's faults, and see it for what it is, you will find a brilliant, complex, heart-lifting and sometimes tragic film, which uncompromisingly examines an eccentric genius, which remains one of the best films of 2004 and one of my personal favourites. I hope it becomes one of your's too.