Review of The Aviator (2004) by Spencer S — 07 Jul 2011

A very full and vibrant portrait of the aviator himself, Howard Hughes. Taking on one of the heavyweights of history, especially in the world of the motion picture, director Scorsese and title actor Leonardo DiCaprio bring the heat to a maudlin and intricate story that could only be told with glitz, glamour, and aeronautics.

The eccentricities and overpowering presence of Hughes is encapsulated in DiCaprio's performance, just as altruistic of the audience as his previous roles. Here is a man with obsession issues towards germs, women, and the grand plan for his ascension to fame through motion pictures and aviation, truly donning the title of The Aviator.

The supporting cast is packed with the Old Hollywood set, including Kate Beckinsale as a demure Ava Gardner and Cate Blanchett, perfectly cast, as the strong headed Katherine Hepburn. All praises of her actually becoming the actress are correct, as everything I've read on Hepburn is perfected by Blanchett's exhaustive research and watchful interpretation, in no way mimicking.

As the film progresses from a simple tale of genius gone haywire to the mentally culpable later years that stranded Hughes in his own mind, the face changes from DiCaprio seasoned as a character, and becomes an almost perfect imitation of Welles' Citizen Kane.

Much of Kane is filtered into this film, that of a high minded and rich inclined figure with all the trappings of wealth and none of the sympathies of a nation intent on seeing the mighty fall. Not on par with Kane, The Aviator does go raw, showing all that Hughes failed in, but climbed back from obscurity to accomplish.

Along with the perfectly tuned soundtrack and airplane effects, this is one of the better made films of the decade, the truest look at insanity through persecution since Frances.