Martin Scorsese’s last film Gangs Of New York was a bit of a clunker, an overly-ambitious costume drama that didn’t live up to expectations.  His biopic of Howard Hughes, the multi-millionaire from Texas, on the other hand, demonstrates what a masterly director he is with the scope of someone who has studied his subject closely.

The film follows Hughes (DiCaprio) from his attempts to make it as a Hollywood big shot; to his passionate interest in aeroplanes, wanting to make TWA a global airline.  Along the way he dates starlets Katherine Hepburn (an excellent Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale) and endeavours to stop the head of rival aviators Pan Am, Juan Trippe (Alec Baldwin) from taking everything away from him.

Hughes was always going to be a difficult man to re-create on screen and Scorsese’s attempt is commendable but, at close to three hours long, the audience could find it a bit bum-numbing at times as he tries to cram in as much as he can.  All things considered, though, it’s still a great piece of cinema and not a bad way to spend a cold, wet afternoon.

(4/5)

Release Date: 13 June 2005

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The Aviator