The Aviator

You don't need an awards institute to tell you a good film when you see one. That statement however becomes a bit rich, especially if you're out to see the film _after_ it's just received 11 nominations. Hold fast though, because even if you'd like to dislike a film simply because it's having endless accolades showered upon it, then The Aviator just might be the film to set you straight.

The story of Howard Hughes is a story of a film maker, the story of a businessman, the story of a charmer and the story of an aviator. With an obsessive eye for detail, a drive to be the best and a determination that any obstacle can be overcome, The Aviator tells a story in the life of one man that accomplished more than most of us would ever dream possible. It's no denying it's an ambitious project to tell the story of this guy and do him justice. He was an incredible man, but a man with many problems. How can you paint one person as a hero and a steadfast pioneer in one hand, and a complete nut in the other without over-complicating the feel of the story?

Starting with the screenplay by John Logan, the man responsible for the brilliant Gladiator and the terrible The Time Machine. This time the guy actually earned his paycheck, because the story is told with such a balance that the 15 year or so span of The Aviator's story remains compelling viewing right to the end. The only weakness could be the small sense that the events in The Aviator seemed to take place over a five year period as opposed to three decades. The solid script is also the basis for some excellent work from Scorsese, the best for some time after the incredibly disjointed Gangs of New York.

There's few films around that stay the length and allow you have so many emotional reactions to one story. You at first have a sense of trepidation towards Howard and his seemingly crazy dreams. Everyone's telling him his visions can't be accomplished, and you can only hear that said so many times before you start believing it too. The media, his work colleagues and his foes are all questioning him. There's real sense of dread of his impending failures. It's then all made that much sweeter though, when his determination eventually triumphs over it all. His film becomes a smash hit and is showered with praise. His innovative plane breaks the speed barrier and he survives his first plane crash. Each time he overcomes a hurdle, you're right there with him, there's with a feeling of total elation and we've beaten the odds.

Don't mistake Hughes and his accomplishments, they're no recreation of those classically clichéd 'many rivers to cross' ANZ commercials. He crosses his rivers without expecting you swallow a corporate logo on the other side. DiCaprio though, is the reason it's all done with such believability. He puts into the role an energy and commitment that's grown since his good work in Catch Me and Gangs. Blanchett is the movie's real stand out. As Katharine Hepburn, she delivers yet another jaw-dropping performance that's key note perfect for the story. I don't know who Hepburn or Hughes were as people, few of us do, but for what we see in The Aviator, they've been given a new lease on immortality thanks to DiCaprio and Blanchett. Scorsese cracks a string of sterling performances from his supporting cast as well. Kate Beckinsale has less scenes that she should, John Reilly gives another of his great supporting roles, while Alan Alda and Alec Bladwin are both paid and pay their dues.

Any good story of triumph though, always has its tragedy. You're built up to believe that anything is possible, with Hughes having overcome so much. Defeating the U.S. government and your key adversary in the same stroke might lead one to believe that there's no obstacle that couldn't be overcome. Unfortunately the one last challenge for Hughes was his own weakness. His obsession with cleanliness and a deep fear of dirt and germs developed over the years, until in the end it consumed him. Fits of delusions were hidden from public view by a loyal team of employees, and his self-imposed seclusion and vast collection of urine is best left to the imagination. We get an ultra brutal sense of how his own weakness has ravaged him when Hepburn comes for one last visit. She's there to thank him for a generous favour he performed in the past. The last correspondence of the former couple is at first touching, and through no ill favour from either, it becomes heart-breaking as Hughes' psychological illness punishes Hepburn in a way that he especially would not have intended.

There's another moment of that feeling triumph where, thanks to some help from Eva Gardner, he pulls of his greatest victory against U.S. senator Brewster and his witch-hunt inquiry into Hughes' and TWA's dealings. He also then vindicates years of risk in a last moment of aviation glory. The celebrations to the both of these though, are cut short, as we close with a cruel realisation that for all of Hughes' strengths, they eventually fell victim to the man himself.


out of ten

Reviewed by Paul Boschen

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