Martin Scorsese: Ranking His Movies From Worst To Best

16. The Aviator

One of the most difficult genres of movie to pull off successfully is the biopic. From the outset it's compounded with a number of problems the filmmaker has to tackle, from the authenticity of the narrative presented and the problem of casting the subject matter in a negative light, which all too often can reduce a biopic to little more than an exercise in hagiography. Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, which tackles the life of famous industrialist, aviation pioneer and billionaire Howard Hughes, is undoubtedly one of the better efforts out there. Scorsese's wonderful attention to period detail makes it an instant visual treat, while Leonardo DiCaprio's strong central performance as the wealthy man whose life descends into a reclusive kind of madness engages the viewer's attention from start to finish. Nevertheless, like most biopics, The Aviator sometimes feels disjointed, presenting a string of life events rather than a cogent and solid narrative, and by the time the film reaches its near-3 hour running time conclusion exhaustion has started to set in.