Worthwhile and interesting biography

Rating: 7/10 (3 January 2005)

Martin Scorcese does not reach the heights I felt he reached in "Gangs of New York" but his bio-pic of Howard Hughes is, for the most part, gorgeous and well-done. DiCaprio proves he is up to the challenge as does the rest of the cast.
Scorcese is such a talented director that I wish he would focus his talents on some smaller projects, because three hours can be a bit overwhelming.
The music and cinematography are used to great effect and, at times, I became totally immersed in the story forgetting that the actors I was watching weren't the actual people.
The CG effects were not quite on par with some recent sci-fi and fantasy epics by the likes of George Lucas and Peter Jackson, but the visceral impact of many of the flight scenes was terrific.
I felt the focus on Hughes obsessive-compulsive hypochondria was a bit overdone, but important to show the internal struggle of the character. I went in to the picture thinking "Tucker: A Man and his Dream" and left thinking "A Beautiful Mind".