J. Edgar (2011)

I saw this film (finally) on Netflix and I found myself glued to the screen for two and a half hours--not entertained, exactly, but fascinated by the way that so many talented people could produce something so "not good." This movie is not really good. It's acceptable, but not special enough to deserve more than a six out of 10, and that's including two stars for the script, which was clever and concise, and that's high praise for a movie script.The problem with the movie wasn't the cast or the script, it was the director. This film needed a firm hand on the wheel but there was no such guidance. It just drifts off message and runs into the rocks. It reminded me of "Hoffa," which also featured a weird biography of a famous (infamous?) character, that was fascinating because it was so weird. "J. Edgar" desperately needed to show us something about, well, J. Edgar. It needed to demonstrate just how he rationalized his crimes and emphasized his heroism. I think the script originally attempted to do that--to show a tortured soul coming to grips with the distance between his reach and his grasp, between his actions and his motives, but the execution is off. We needed to have a pause or two in the action, where "Speedy" Hoover would slow down, or even stop, the camera could give DiCaprio an opportunity to convey the internal hurricane that could result in the man like J.Edgar Hoover. But Clint Eastwood's direction never takes a break and we speed along like a cheap tour bus of Famous Homes of Washington--never pausing to take a breath and never having the chance to imagine what it must have been like to be one of the most famous men on Earth and, also, one of the most secret.This movie was a missed opportunity. Clint Eastwood seems to produce some mighty fine motion pictures when horses, horsepower and shooting and punching are on the menu. When the evil that men do is quietly done by those wearing spiffy suits and ties, he's out of his depth. This film suffers from too many answers and not enough questions. To understand a man like Hoover, a few good questions go much further than all the bogus "answers" in the world. Somebody, at some time, during the filming of this should have made the "too on the nose" gesture and told Clint not to be so literal.

Great, reasonably balanced, biopic on a highly controversial figureA study on J Edgar Hoover, famed long-serving director of the FBI. Explores his drivers and motivations, and personal life. Told through flashbacks as he narrates his career for his biography, we see how he built the FBI from scratch, some of his higher-profile cases (eg the Lindbergh baby), his obsession with Communists and anyone else he deemed enemies of the US and his relationship with Clyde Tolson, Assistant Director of the FBI, closest confidant and more. A good study on a controversial, divisive, almost mystical, figure in US history. Not entirely complimentary, it gives a stark, and balanced, look at a very powerful, shaping force figure in US history.Great performance from Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role. Good support from Armie Hammer and Naomi Watts.

a great director. a delicate subject. and a real good work. because it is a film about power- its price, its limits- more than a film about Hoover. it is an exercise of honesty about a man who creates and lead and transforms America. and the courage and subtle science to not present a statue but a vulnerable man, with obscure aspects of life, with desire to impose rules , the mixture of patriotic attitude and egocentric acts, the force who transforms people and events, the images of childhood as windows to the single man, the strange definition of family and the purpose who build a career, Leonardo Di Caprio in one of his splendid roles, all represents arguments for admire Eastwood's work.

J. Edgar (2011): Dir: Clint Eastwood / Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench, Josh Lucas: Another winner by Clint Eastwood that spans decades and presents one of the most powerful men in history. J. Edgar Hoover ran the Bureau of Investigations for some five decades and the film cuts back and forth from his early days where he presented a dominating image of himself, to his dusk where he tells his story but only his version. Leonardo DiCaprio gives a masterful performance under convincing aged makeup and stern mannerism that presented a forceful image to the public while possibly concealing a closet homosexual and his submissive relationship with his mother. His life long partner in the business is Clyde Tolson, played with understanding by Armie Hammer who has proved himself as the aggravated sorority twins in The Social Network. Here he plays Hoover's right hand man who grows frustrated when Hoover conceals his sexuality yet he maintains faithful even when health issues arise. Naomi Watts also makes a great physical transition as Hoover's loyal secretary Helen Gandy whom he seemed at first smitten until she reveals her professional nature. She knows his secrets and is trusted to keep them secured. Judi Dench as his mother obviously disapproves of any notion of homosexual relationships and attempts to wean her son to become more a man. Unfortunately the role is predictable and standard. Josh Lucas makes an appearance as Charles Linbergh. Curious film about one's celebrity and one's secret reality. Score: 8 ½ / 10