THE AVIATOR (2004) (****)

Director Martin Scorsese goes grand again; this time dealing with the early professional life of Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio, WHAT’S EASTING GILBERT GRAPE?). Like Scorsese did with GANGS OF NEW YORK, he tells the grand, but troubled, life of Hughes, who took an inherited tool fortune and gambled it on risky film and aeronautic ventures, which eventually led to him becoming the richest man in the world.

The film is anchored by a stellar performance by DiCaprio, who convincingly shows Hughes’ inner demons with an irrational germ phobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Over time he develops mental blocks that he just can't get over, such as simply exiting a public bathroom, fearing the germs lurking on the door handle. The film amazingly deals with the issue of the thin line between genius and madness. I loved the way the film dealt with the character’s struggle with compulsions that he knows are irregular, but has little choice in controlling them. But this film really isn't about the neurotic Hughes that everyone remembers, but the golden boy before he got lost in he dark forest of mental disease.

The film chronicles Hughes expensive production of HELL’S ANGELS, his experimental aircraft that breaks speed records, the construction of the world’s largest plane, his dealings with the MPAA over sex and violence in his movies and the senate hearings that tried to label him a war profiteer. Just recounting what he did puts me in awe. In all his endeavors, he was brash and daring, but he had a knack for risking it all and winning every time.

Dealing with his private life, the film shows Hughes wooing several Hollywood stars, including Jean Harlow (Gwen Stefani, No Doubt’s lead singer in film debut), Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale, PEARL HARBOR) and Faith Domergue (Kelli Garner, BULLY). But Hughes great love was with Katharine Hepburn, played by Cate Blanchett in another Oscar worthy performance. Hughes and Hepburn were cut from the same odd pattern. Their eccentricities helped make them famous, but also kept them isolated, and eventually tore them apart. But while they were together, they had someone to relate to and they liked the adventure.

The film is also filled with other solid supporting work from John C. Reilly (CHICAGO) as Hughes’ accountant Noah Dietrich, Alec Baldwin (THE COOLER) as Hughes’ chief airplane rival Juan Trippe, Alan Alda (TV’s M*A*S*H) as Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster and Ian Holm (LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING) as Hughes’ “cloud and breast expert” Prof. Fitz. Dietrich had the toughest job of all — paying the bills for Hughes' extravagant indulgences. He also protected Hughes from himself in the public's eye. When is comes to Trippe and Brewster's backdoor dealings, it's true to say that just because Hughes was paranoid didn't mean they weren't after him.

Scorsese indulges in a bit of film history, making the early part of the film look like the two-color film of the early days of color. It's this attention to detail that lifts the entire production to another level. It shows a love for the time period and Hughes' contributions to the medium he loves. The film is a fitting memorial to a man who should be remembered for how he changed American cinema and aeronautics and not as a crazy freak holed up in a penthouse in Las Vegas or a bungalow in Beverly Hills.