Well Done in all Aspects

Rating: 8/10 (9 July 2005)

This is a very well done movie. Technically, the movie was exceptional. Leonardo DiCaprio is a phenomenal actor. It's a shame that he got temporarily slotted as a teen idol after "Titanic". His performance is very well done. It would have been easy to go over the top in portraying the mental illness that Howard Hughes suffered from. Instead it was played with humanity and compassion.
The direction was also well done, as one would expect from Scorsese. There are a couple of action scenes that appeared to be exceptionally difficult from a technical point-of-view that were absolutely stunning. The pace of the movie is perfect. At 2:50, one would expect some sags, but it kept my interest for the duration.
The plot was also quite interesting. I knew a considerable amount about Howard Hughes before watching this movie, but this filled in some gaps a details and placed these events in a historical context.
Howard Hughes led a complex and interesting life. This movie brings that to us in a very compelling way.