Soars above!

Rating: 8/10 (28 November 2019)

'The Aviator', directed by Martin Scorsese, is a biopic of some of the more remarkable years of Howard Hughes. Hughes, was an ambitious film director, a keen pilot, someone famous for his eccentricities and compulsions, and a man that I had never heard of.
The film first focuses on Hughe's ambitious dreams of creating his 'Hell's Angels' war film. Leonardo Di Caprio's initial portrayal of Hughes as an exceedingly charismatic, driven individual had me hooked from the onset. He is able charm employees, businessmen, and actresses, almost effortlessly. Any obstacles that he cannot assuage with his smile, can certainly be overcome by his seemingly endless wealth. Hughes inherited a vast fortune from his father, Howard Hughes Sr., who designed and produced drill bits during the Texas Oil Boom of the early 20th Century. The set, costumes, score, and acting match his opulence beautifully and deserve recognition.
Hughes, however, was a brilliant man in his own right. He is a talented pilot replete with records of speed and daring, but also a remarkable engineer and perfectionist with endless passion for designing planes. But behind this brilliance is a looming insecurity and obsessive mentality. Di Caprio masterfully hints at his decline with the subtle sense of claustrophobia he carries even when the cameras flash on the red carpet in the early film. Hughes' eccentricities reach a climax as he plants cameras and bugs phones of his partners, handles objects with only tissues, and locks himself away for months on end watching films naked as his health and hygiene deteriorate.
His few tethers to reality seemed to be his relationships with Katherine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale). I genuinely came to adore Cate Blanchett's character, for her strength but also sensitivities. And Kate Beckinsale too was strikingly natural as opposed to other roles I have seen her in.
I was surprised how well this film fit the mould of an underdog story. Each obstacle Hughes faces, I found myself rooting for him to succeed. When he flew the XF-11, as Bach played earnestly in the background, I could feel tension. And then in the hearings against Owen Brewster, when the enrapturing side of Hughe's comes again to the fore, I felt that justice was being served.
A friend had told me that this was his favourite film. Being curious, I gave it the time and was not disappointed. Hughe's eventually became a complete recluse in the final decades of his life. His years in the sun, however, were certainly magnificent, and Scorsese flew high with this film.