J. Edgar (2011)
Certified: 16
Duration: 137 minutes
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, Judi Dench, Damon Herriman, Jeffrey Donovan, Ed Westwick
KRS release

Leonardo DiCaprio plays the iconic figure of J. Edgar Hoover who, for nearly half a century, led the FBI.

Mr DiCaprio tackles the moods, phases and fluctuations of his (Hoover’s) character well- Johan Galea

The film takes viewers to the past through a series of flashbacks, to the time when the FBI was still known as the Bureau of Investigation while he was still living with his domineering mother Annie (Judi Dench).

It then follows Hoover’s appointment as director in 1924 when he enrols Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts) as his personal assistant and brings in the suave Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer) onto his staff, as his second in command.

The film then follows events and issues such as the rise of the communist threat, the bank robbers who became folk heroes, the Charles Lindberg baby saga, the tug-of-war with the Kennedy Brothers, issues with President Nixon and Martin Luther King.

Hoover revolutionises the way crime is fought but he also dedicates a lot of time to the creation of a database of information about anyone who is anyone.

This sees him becoming a manipulator as he abuses the information he gathers to gain more power for himself.

This does not sit well with Clyde who spent many years with Hoover, both in a personal and a professional capacity.

J. Edgar is a film marked by Clint Eastwood’s calm, restrained touch but even more so by Leonardo DiCaprio’s powerful performance of an incredibly enigmatic, shadowy and very private historical figure.

The result is a film that will please all those who love historical movies or performance-based films.

Mr Eastwood seems to be non-committal in his approach, wanting to do justice to the character and not letting his own libertarian views get the better of him.

At the same time, the film restrains itself from tackling Hoover’s alleged homosexual tendencies head on.

The result is a film about a man who seems to be trying to cure himself of hidden evil by simply seeing it everywhere and in everyone.

This is a man who changed the face of fighting crime but he was also into wiretapping of those whom he viewed as a threat including the US President and was not below sending him an anonymous letter or two.

Mr DiCaprio tackles the moods, phases and fluctuations of his character well.

The star is at the centre of a film that is almost a whirlpool of towering megalomania – one that is never subdued by the latex or the tons of make-up required to play the aging Hoover.

This performance is what gives the film its strength and footing.

Armie Hammer plays his role to the hilt and provides the film with a suitable supporting character.

His relationship with Hoover is very believable even though he seems to be winking at the audience in the way he both overplays and underplays aspects of the character.

Naomi Watts is also very convincing as Hoover’s suffering assistant.

Mr Eastwood looks at history in a detached way, more like a chronicler than a storyteller. He avoids subjectivity and only opts for that which is accountable. Certain events like the Lindbergh baby case are well handled.

The result is a film that elucidates on a man who built an empire about law and righteous justice, with lies, deceit and double dealings and the craving and fear that at any one time he could end up losing it all.

J. Edgar is another strong film in the ever burgeoning Clint Eastwood directorial résumé.