The Aviator

This is the second time I have seen this Scorsese film, as I couldn't endure it all the way to the end the first time due to its length and my lack of interest, and I was missing about 40 minutes to settle the score with The Aviator. I was able to erase it from my memory practically perfectly in record time, and that already proves that this time Martin and I didn't see eye to eye. Honestly, it's probably the film I most could not get into from this famous American filmmaker in the last two decades. While his recent films managed to impress me, The Aviator only bored and disinterested me. Despite being undoubtedly a blockbuster with everything that belongs to it - a multitude of stars, a high budget, a script overflowing with ambition, and a charismatic hero - something doesn't work in it, and it's not just because the theme didn't appeal to me. Scorsese describes his hero in a way that is very different from the reality that could resemble how Costa Gavras settles accounts with capitalism in his film Capital. The real Howard Hughes was such a scoundrel that even Belfort, the main character of The Wolf of Wall Street could be considered a good buddy from Sunday school and Mother Teresa's secretary. Even an American like Leacock noticed the typical characteristic of Americans - admiring successful people regardless of how they came to wealth and how they handled it and made fun of it in his book "Literary Lapses." In the United States, Howard Hughes is considered a legend, even though his real behavior, actions, and impacts were very problematic. In the movie, there is one scene where Howard is visiting Katharine Hepburn's family, which represents that typical inward-looking snobbish liberal society that drowns in wealth while prattling about socialism. When the lady of the house says that they never talk about money in their house, Howard responds, "That's because you have plenty of it." Howard Hughes was the last person who could pass any judgments. He inherited the money and then enjoyed it and lived the typical life of a playboy and celebrity. He treated his employees thoughtlessly, manipulated, blackmailed and lobbied in the worst imaginable way, which meant nothing other than mass corruption. Even his illness is highly debatable; in the 1940s, he certainly didn't suffer from any mental illness, and, typically, he was able to manage his companies so skillfully until the end of his life that he never paid a penny in taxes while being one of the five richest people on this planet. I'll give it three stars thanks to several great scenes, such as the crash of the airplane and its impressive flight through a residential area, where Scorsese presents himself in the best possible form. But it's just barely three stars... Overall impression: 50%. (04/14/2014)

Paradoxically, the most interesting stages of Hughes’ life are merely mentioned in passing or completely ignored, while there is also a lot of needless filler (albeit excellently filmed). The actors are excellent, Scorsese’s still got it - it’s just that the screenplay isn’t one of the best ever written. Which is really a great shame and it knocks The Aviator out of the sky before it has the chance to take off. (11/06/2005)

One of those films for which Leo should have gotten the Oscar instead. It's a great performance by him, but it's not the film's only strength. Scorsese's direction is so confident that he even allows himself an exorbitant runtime because he knows he won't be boring the audience. The last two hours mesmerized me so much that, for the second time, I couldn't tear myself away from the film. (03/06/2016)

The Aviator is not Martin Scorsese’s best film and, in my opinion, it doesn't even belong among the best ones. It is beautifully shot, but that's about it. There are plenty of unforgettable scenes, shots, and dialogues, but the end result doesn't have such a strong impact, and there is no deeper emotional experience. Surprisingly, technically, the movie is quite uneven, and sometimes it seems like a farce or an overly theatrical costume drama. Sometimes, I even feel a sense of theater. It's an interesting retro film, but definitely not aiming for an Oscar. (02/10/2005)

The pilot is not bad at all, but after two screenings in one year, I can't imagine trying to go through it all again even fifteen years later. DiCaprio is great, but surprisingly, Scorsese can't maintain a good momentum, he gets lost in Hughes' psychoses, and the story that goes to flowers is only fixed in the thrilling courtroom finale. (09/15/2005)