Scorsese’s biopic of billionaire Howard Hughes (DiCaprio) is an epic in almost every sense - it’s a long film (3 hours) but the effect is to give you a real appreciation of the scale of Hughes’ life as director, aviator and playboy.

Thankfully it doesn’t fall back onto the reclusive stereotype of Hughes later life, although it clearly shows its emerging effects, but instead concentrates on his full-on approach to life: fast planes and even faster women. Blanchett plays Katherine Hepburn, Hughes first major love, with astonishing authenticity, somehow she picks up the forthright strong mind, “all lines and angles”, to the point of outshining DiCaprio. Oscar there me thinks. DiCaprio also does an excellent job as Hughes, given a grown up role and some good direction he seems to flourish.

A big scale film of a fascinating character, though more of Gwen Stefani as Jean Harlow might have been nice.