Chris I don't wish to demean your review by adding a long comment. Your review is precise and on the mark. If you don't mind, I simply want to add my comments after seeing the film today. Thanks.

--------------------------

Howard Hughes was perhaps the most liked and admired industrialist in the first half of the Twentieth Century. The public ate him up like the popcorn the newsreels sold in the lobby. What’s not to like? He loved flying, beautiful women, and was an outspoken person who always told the truth. At least, that is what his publicists would have us believe. The public bought it, until Hughes’ empire came crashing down shortly after his death. Then we learned the real truth about Howard Hughes: that he fired people because he was paranoid; that he was obsessive-compulsive; he had mysophobia (fearing of becoming dirty from germs); and he was delusional.

Howard Hughes was also brilliant and conscientious. He helped Kate Hepburn and Spencer Tracey out of trouble (along with many others not mentioned in the film). He practically wrote the book on commercial aviation, or at least the people who worked for him did. He loved to fly. For Hughes, flying was more an obsession than a joy. He had to do it faster and better than anyone else, and he did. He made TWA one of the major carriers in America.

Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator” is a close personal portrait of this complex and pitiful man who struggled his entire life against a mean spirited competition and his own demons. Scorsese has beautifully filled the screen like a grand canvas with larger than life images and caricatures of the famous and infamous Hollywood elite. From the graceful Katherine Hepburn to the gross overt quality of Errol Flynn, sooner or later, many of the stars involved with Hughes, show up in one form or another. I had heard so much of Cate Blanchett’s performance, how she nailed Hepburn. The voice, yes, but in appearance, Katy was one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood. She did not have a bulbous nose. Yet, it is Leonardo DiCaprio who carries this film and delivers in the most crucial scenes, almost unbearable to watch. DiCaprio pours his heart and soul into the part, coming away with a meaty portrayal, easy to be proud of for later generations. Whether he gets his long deserved Oscar or not, his should be one of the five nominations.

Just when you think Howard Hughes has faded into history, we, the general public, get to resurrect our fascination with Hughes’ life during this film. We become voyeurs to his private hell unfolding before our baffled senses. His life was so public. Still, we watch intently as Hughes slowly disintegrates further into manias he can no longer escape from. Even with the help of friends, it is too late for Hughes, despite his heroic final public appearance, he is doomed to spend the rest of his life trapped inside a nightmare governed by the rules of an obsessive-compulsive. Martin Scorsese has crafted this slow undoing of Hughes sanity filled with heroism when he succeeds, and piteous woe when his mental diseases overcome his progress. Martin’s picture of Hughes is filled with a stark unveiling that makes our peering at Hughes life an embarrassment to ourselves, and Martin Scorsese’s direction worthy of our praise.