Leonardo DiCaprio has received a great deal of praise for his dignified performance as J. Edgar Hoover in this Clint Eastwood-directed biopic, and rightfully so. Eastwood delivers an interesting film, as the focus bounces back and forth from Hoover’s early days creating the FBI to his later years, as he’s telling his life story to staff writers.
We get to see Hoover’s struggles, both professional and personal. Before the FBI was created there were no real methods for gathering evidence from crime scenes or tracking criminals. And the public and politicians were not happy with the idea of an organization such as the FBI having the power over local police. But a few events change that, and we then see Hoover, as the leader of the FBI, becoming powerful and famous.
The movie also focuses on Hoover’s relationship with Clyde Tolson (played by Armie Hammer). Tolson becomes Hoover’s right-hand man and their personal relationship is also a key part of the story. Naomi Watts plays Hoover’s secretary/assistant, Helen Gandy. She is also with him throughout his time as the head of the FBI, which spans eight Presidential administrations. The other powerful figure in Edgar’s life was his mother (played by Judi Dench, who had a nice year with this performance and her work in “My Week with Marilyn”). The acting in “J. Edgar” is outstanding.
Eastwood’s directing, on the other hand, is not. I’m not a fan of his back-and-forth method of story-telling. Fortunately toward the end of the nearly 2-hours the time periods catch-up to each other and the movie finishes that way. But the biggest problem with ‘J. Edgar” is the make-up. The film tries to show the main characters aging and the attempt with DiCaprio and Watts is pretty believable. But Hammer’s older look is simply awful. I can’t understand why Eastwood or someone else on the crew didn’t notice during the making of the movie that Hammer’s make-up was a disaster. Unfortunately it’s so distracting at times that it keeps you from being able to appreciate his performance.
“J. Edgar” is rated R for language, adult content, a disturbing image and brief violence. It’s appropriate for teens and up, especially those who may be currently studying this time period in our nation’s history.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “J. Edgar” gets a B-. It’s a compelling and engaging portrayal of a fascinating life.