What we have here is the early part of Howard Hughes' life as the film ends somewhere in the late 40s/early 50s. This was a man riddled with OCD, but also was one of the greatest American's of the 20th century. He is another one of those people where you question what really is the line of insanity and genius. His OCD both crippled him, and made him great. That is beautiful conundrum of this one of a kind man. He was born into a good chunk of money, but, he worked hard for a massive fortune that at one point had him be the richest man in the world
What is most interesting about him, is that while he was making big movies, he was also working on pushing the limits of aeronautics. This was a man who couldn't stay still, and when you watch Leonardo DiCaprio, you really feel that he is Howard Hughes. I also have to give notice to Cate Blanchett's great job of portraying Katherine Hepburn, and providing great chemistry between her and DiCaprio
What strikes you immeaditely is that Hughes in many ways is a larger then life person, just by how he goes about making Hell's Angels. Never had there been so many cameras for a film, and when you watch the filming of the Dog Fight scene, you just sit there in awe. What also shows you much about the man is that Hughes got in the middle of the dog fight scene to film it to make it more real. This is a trait that Hughes carried with him while he was still mentally capable. He always liked to be in the action, whether it be filming the Dog Fight scene in Hell's Angels, Being his own test pilot for the speed records he broke over and over again, to being the show at Owen Brewster's hearings. He never really shied from a public confrontation, but had a hard time interacting one-on-one with people. It wasn't just his being a germaphobe that hampered his relationships, but his never ending drive to make something greater.
You also see how crippling his OCD really was though, at the same time. At first, it was what made him great, but as time went on, and most likely the less sleep he got, it was what turned him into the recluse of his later life. He started to become obscenely paranoid to the point where he would fire people because he deluded himself into thinking that they were spying on him, and he also planted bugs in Ava Gardner's house so he could be sure that she was being faithful to him. It wasn't just the paranoia though, he was also becoming more and more of a germaphobe. We really see this starting to happen when he is at a premier in a bathroom, and he is so worried about germs that he can't even hand a cleaning cloth to a man who is on crutches, and we see him just standing there constantly washing his hands with his own personal bar of soap. As we know, he devolves even further to the point of walking around in closed off rooms naked for days on end and peeing into empty jars of milk(which provides a nice dichotomy for his own personal cleanliness vs how he percieves other's cleanliness), touching things with tissues upon tissues of kleenex, and also letting his nails and hair go.
In my opinion, this is Scorcese's best work since Raging Bull, and is in his top 5 for his illustrious career. There is just this constant feeling that you are seeing something that is great, and by that I mean, everything is magnified to an insane extent. Everything just feels so big whether it be the golf course that Hughes owns, his planes, or the man, Scorcese goes with this feeling of greatness, but at the same time, he shows how delicate Hughes could be. It is a very telling film, and it just leaves you feeling like great things can be done in life if you have the motivation, but also shows you that unhuman like drive for that success can result in your own semi-downfall
Overall: 4.8
rewatchability: definetly every couple of months or so. This film gets better and better everytime you see it
RATINGS (out of 5):
0 - This is a complete waste of time, and you will regret wasting it
1 - don't bother unless no other options at all
2 - okay for a single watch, if you've got time
3 - Definite watch if you get a chance
4 - See it very soon, at least once before you die
5 - See it immediately, no excuses