Director Martin Scorsese’s Howard Hughes-inspired epic has a splendid opening hour, it’s lavish & polished to a fine degree.
Leonardo DiCaprio (Gangs Of New York) is fantastically convincing as the troubled pioneer of aviation, hounded by the unscrupulous Alec Baldwin (Mercury Rising) & Alan Alda (What Women Want), who peddle their own agendas.
But the ensuing two hours are a muddled, confused look at the controversial man’s life, as Scorsese rushes to document his female liasions, OCD, & court appearances. Depicting Katharine Hepburn is hot property actress Cate Blanchett (Charlotte Gray), elevating the film’s acting credentials, though Ian Holm (The Fifth Element) is wasted here, & the cameo from Jude Law (Closer) is so utterly meaningless, it’s a wonder why he even showed up at all.
This is a complex & lengthy story, & it’s shot with a lot of retro-style & pizzazz, but beneath the glossy veneer is a film that in due course peters out in unremarkable fashion.