Expertly Made Biopic

Rating: 8/10 (12 July 2005)

The Aviator is a flawless and powerful picture that leaves an impact on the viewer. The life of the late Howard Hughes is realized by director Martin Scorsese and his star, Leonardo DiCaprio, in this biopic that shows the millionaire's eccentric ventures into Hollywood film-making and breakthrough feats of aviation by breaking speed records. Before I saw this film, I had never really heard much about Howard Hughes so I wasn't really excited to see this film. However, he turned out to be quite an interesting man and this biopic did a good job of telling his life. He had many dreams and actually worked to try to complete them. He did some bad things and he also nearly died from a plane crash. I had never really had an interest for really old Hollywood but this film made me look up some things. Leonard DiCaprio did a great job portraying Howard Hughes. He would sometimes go over the top but rarely. Cate Blanchett plays Katharine Hepburn and does a pretty good job. I usually don't really like her but this movie is an exception. Kate Beckinsale also did a good job as Ava Gardner. John C. Reilly did a really good job though he wasn't a main character. He is also kind of underrated. Alec Baldwin isn't that great of an actor. I never really liked him but apparently Scorsese has a way to get the best out of everyone. Jude Law and Gwen Stefani aren't in the film very much, in fact I didn't really notice Gwen and Jude has like on scene. So very good acting from everyone. Martin Scorsese directs and I can't believe he didn't win an Oscar for this film. He made a beautiful picture and it was sometimes really moving as well. The running time is a long 168 minutes but it goes by so fast as I was defiantly hooked on the film. I find this film superior to Ray as it was better made. The characters were more interesting, direction was better and it didn't suffer from too many clichés. Jamie Foxx did a better job then Leo but not by much. This film also makes you wonder why Hollywood doesn't make films more like this one. In the end, this is an expertly made film and defiantly worth checking out. Rating 10/10