The Aviator (Martin Scorsese, 2004)

With costume designs that perfectly manage to capture the time era and a performance from DiCaprio that brings the OCD, obsessive personality of Howard Hughes to the big screen makes Scorsese's almost three hour biopic one of the best films in his catalog.

I'm curious to why this film isn't mentioned among Scorsese's best. DiCaprio and Scorsese have made four movies together, which besides this film are (1) Gangs of New York (2002), (2) The Departed (2006), and (3) Shutter Island (2010). I saw Gangs of New York at a young age and highly enjoyed it, however my tastes have evolved highly since then and I'd have to give it a re-watch before I can give it a final verdict. Number #2 and #3 I have no desire to watch again. The Departed just came across as "another Scorsese gangster film" and "another Jack Nicholson being Jack Nicholson performance." The critics and Oscars ate the film up, however to me it seemed more out of sympathy. The same type of sympathy that are awarded Al Pacino a best actor award for Scent of a Woman instead of The Godfather Part II and Dog Day Afternoon. Shutter Island's dark and eerie atmosphere is defeated by the cliche and predictable ending that was taken out of the 1920 Robert Wiene masterpiece The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

I stand by the opinion that The Aviator is not only the best of the Scorsese/DiCaprio films, but also one of Scorsese's best films. A must-see!