Official Movie Website Theatrical Release 11/11/2011 Home Video Not Available MPAA Rating RatedR for brief strong language Running Time 137 Minutes Genre Drama Director Clint Eastwood Writer Dustin Lance Black Cast Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Judi Dench, Ed Westwick, Josh Lucas, Ken Howard, Naomi Watts Studio Warner Bros. |
J. EDGAR (2011)
SYNOPSIS
J. Edgar explores the public and private life of one of
the most powerful, controversial and enigmatic figures
of the 20th century. As the face of law enforcement in
America for almost fifty years, J. Edgar Hoover
(Leonardo DiCaprio) was feared and admired, reviled
and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets
that would have destroyed his image, his career and
his life. -- (C) Warner Bros
J. Edgar explores the public and private life of one of
the most powerful, controversial and enigmatic figures
of the 20th century. As the face of law enforcement in
America for almost fifty years, J. Edgar Hoover
(Leonardo DiCaprio) was feared and admired, reviled
and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets
that would have destroyed his image, his career and
his life. -- (C) Warner Bros
© 2003 St. Louis Movie Review Weekly. All rights reserved, except where indicated.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
| ST. LOUIS MOVIE REVIEW WEEKLY |
By Brenda S. Ladd
J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI, has been one of the most controversial characters in
America History. He brilliantly pioneered the use of science in criminology, no matter how much he was
ridiculed by peers and other political figures; however, his paranoia of radicals and obsession with
protecting the Country led him to use illegal methods such as infiltration, burglaries, illegal wiretaps,
planted evidence, and false rumors. Past movies about J. Edgar have painted him as a paranoid
obsessed man with no soul, with the gifted direction of Director Clint Eastwood and an Oscar Worthy
performance by Leonardo DiCaprio the audience gets a small glimpse into what might have made J.
Edgar tick and while his methods were nothing short of controversial; he still was fierce with his
convictions to eradicate our Country of domestic and foreign threats and is someone that still should be
noted in our history as an exceptional figure. The movie named after the man himself, J. Edgar, jumps
back and forth from the radical bombings in 1919 that launched his desire for crime solving to his death
in 1972. Eastwood and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black allude to J. Edgar’s personal life without
committing to either side. It is referenced throughout the film that J. Edgar was definitely gay but that he
sadly remained celibate because of his fear of society’s and his mother’s (played by the talented Judi
Drench) disapproval boldly noted in the line “I would rather have a dead son than a daffodil for a son”. His
assistant director Clyde Tolson (another accomplished role by The Social Network’s Armie Hammer) is
by J. Edgar’s side throughout his entire career and Eastwood delicately dances around the perception
that they were more than just co workers. His division was known as G.I.D. the General Intelligence
Division until renamed the F.B.I. the Federal Bureau of Investigation in1935 due to J. Edgar’s constant
fighting for money and jurisdiction to catch radicals all over the country for “federal crimes” based on the
Linbergh Kidnapping in 1932. The story gets a little muddled in reference to the feud between Dr. Martin
Luther King and J. Edgar because the movie opens with J. Edgar responding to an article from Dr. King
and then towards the end of the movie there is a reference to him listening to Dr. King having an affair
and then a quick shot of Dr. King being carried in a coffin; however, these quick snapshots are just that
“snapshots” and never really explained. Sian Grigg the makeup artist responsible for aging Mr. DiCaprio
does such an amazing job that matched with DiCaprio’s noteworthy performance at times the audience
is unaware that DiCaprio is actually playing both roles. While at times the movie may move a little slow
between Eastwood’s attractive direction and DiCaprio’s award winning performance the audience is able
to see the gifted yet controversial struggle behind “the most powerful man in the world.”
America History. He brilliantly pioneered the use of science in criminology, no matter how much he was
ridiculed by peers and other political figures; however, his paranoia of radicals and obsession with
protecting the Country led him to use illegal methods such as infiltration, burglaries, illegal wiretaps,
planted evidence, and false rumors. Past movies about J. Edgar have painted him as a paranoid
obsessed man with no soul, with the gifted direction of Director Clint Eastwood and an Oscar Worthy
performance by Leonardo DiCaprio the audience gets a small glimpse into what might have made J.
Edgar tick and while his methods were nothing short of controversial; he still was fierce with his
convictions to eradicate our Country of domestic and foreign threats and is someone that still should be
noted in our history as an exceptional figure. The movie named after the man himself, J. Edgar, jumps
back and forth from the radical bombings in 1919 that launched his desire for crime solving to his death
in 1972. Eastwood and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black allude to J. Edgar’s personal life without
committing to either side. It is referenced throughout the film that J. Edgar was definitely gay but that he
sadly remained celibate because of his fear of society’s and his mother’s (played by the talented Judi
Drench) disapproval boldly noted in the line “I would rather have a dead son than a daffodil for a son”. His
assistant director Clyde Tolson (another accomplished role by The Social Network’s Armie Hammer) is
by J. Edgar’s side throughout his entire career and Eastwood delicately dances around the perception
that they were more than just co workers. His division was known as G.I.D. the General Intelligence
Division until renamed the F.B.I. the Federal Bureau of Investigation in1935 due to J. Edgar’s constant
fighting for money and jurisdiction to catch radicals all over the country for “federal crimes” based on the
Linbergh Kidnapping in 1932. The story gets a little muddled in reference to the feud between Dr. Martin
Luther King and J. Edgar because the movie opens with J. Edgar responding to an article from Dr. King
and then towards the end of the movie there is a reference to him listening to Dr. King having an affair
and then a quick shot of Dr. King being carried in a coffin; however, these quick snapshots are just that
“snapshots” and never really explained. Sian Grigg the makeup artist responsible for aging Mr. DiCaprio
does such an amazing job that matched with DiCaprio’s noteworthy performance at times the audience
is unaware that DiCaprio is actually playing both roles. While at times the movie may move a little slow
between Eastwood’s attractive direction and DiCaprio’s award winning performance the audience is able
to see the gifted yet controversial struggle behind “the most powerful man in the world.”