The Aviator (2004 film)

The Aviator (2004 film) is a biographical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by John Logan. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, focusing on his life from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s, during which he became a successful film producer and aviation magnate while simultaneously battling severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The film depicts Hughes' early filmmaking career, including the production of Hell's Angels, his record-breaking aviation exploits, his relationship with actresses Katharine Hepburn (played by Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (played by Kate Beckinsale), and his struggle to secure government contracts for his aircraft designs.

Significant plot points include Hughes's founding of Hughes Aircraft Company, his ambitious Spruce Goose project (the Hughes H-4 Hercules aircraft), and his increasing paranoia and mental instability as his OCD worsens. The film also portrays the challenges he faced from rival Pan American Airways and its president Juan Trippe, who sought to undermine Hughes's Trans World Airlines (TWA).

The Aviator was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning five: Best Supporting Actress (Cate Blanchett), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, and Best Art Direction. It was a critical and commercial success, praised for its performances, direction, production design, and depiction of Hughes's life and mental health struggles.