J. Edgar (2011)

J. Edgar Hoover, powerful head of the FBI for nearly 50 years, looks back on his professional and personal life.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writer:

Dustin Lance Black

Stars:

Leonardo DiCaprio, Josh Hamilton, Naomi Watts

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	J. Edgar Hoover
Josh Hamilton	...	Robert Irwin
Geoff Pierson	...	Mitchell Palmer
Cheryl Lawson	...	Palmer's Wife
Kaitlyn Dever	...	Palmer's Daughter
Brady Matthews	...	Inspector
Gunner Wright	...	Dwight Eisenhower
David A. Cooper	...	Franklin Roosevelt
Ed Westwick	...	Agent Smith
Naomi Watts	...	Helen Gandy
Kelly Lester	...	Head Secretary
Jack Donner	...	Edgar's Father
Judi Dench	...	Annie Hoover
Dylan Burns	...	Hoover as a Child
Jordan Bridges	...	Labor Dept. Lawyer

Storyline

Biopic of J. Edgar Hoover told by Hoover as he recalls his career for a biography. Early in his career, Hoover fixated on Communists, anarchists and any other revolutionary taking action against the U.S. government. He slowly builds the agency's reputation, becoming the sole arbiter of who gets hired and fired. One of his hires is Clyde Tolson who is quickly promoted to Assistant Director and would be Hoover's confidant and companion for the rest of Hoover's life. Hoover's memories have him playing a greater role in the many high profile cases the FBI was involved in - the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, the arrest of bank robbers like John Dillinger - and also show him to be quite adept at manipulating the various politicians he's worked with over his career, thanks in large part to his secret files.

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Plot Keywords:

fbi | secret | memory | federal bureau of investigation | secret file | 

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Taglines:

The Most Powerful Man in the World

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [es] Warner Bros. [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hoover

Filming Locations:

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club - 2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard, Del Mar, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$11,217,324 (USA) (11 November 2011)

Gross:

$37,304,950 (USA) (17 February 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Imagine Entertainment, Malpaso Productions, Wintergreen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shipped to theaters under the code name "Lawman".

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Goofs

The movie portrays the Lindbergh kidnapping as being the reason for the origin of the crime laboratory. In fact, according to the FBI website, the lab was much earlier. In addition, it was the New Jersey police and Schwarzkopf who did the work on the ladder, including the forensic work that led to the mill where the kidnapper was employed. Schwarzkopf, incidentally, is the father of General Norman Schwarzkopf, the commander of Desert Storm.

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Quotes

[first lines]
J. Edgar Hoover: Let me tell you something. The SCLC has direct Communist ties. Even great men can be corrupted, can't they? Communism is not a political party. It is a disease. It corrupts the soul, turning men, even the gentlest of men, into vicious evil tyrants.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Carol Burnett/Armie Hammer/Lang Lang and Friends (2012)

User Reviews

Great but not without its flaws

Just got back from a screening in Vancouver~ Thanks to Clint Eastwood, it was almost free (only one dollar per ticket) I will try to keep my review spoiler-free~

Personally, I thought it was a great film. Not exceptional in anyway, but still great. The tone reminds me a bit of Changeling. Makes sense since the stories are from the same period. I have to say, with Eastwood, Leonardo DiCaprio and Dustin Lance Black all on board, I was kind of expecting something a bit more than this.

I thought the weakest link was the script. It was interesting, but flawed. Also, the story was not very intriguing. Having watched Milk (also written by Black) and really liked how the story unfolded, I was expecting a great story about how J. Edgar Hoover rose to power and how he gradually transformed into the monster he became in the end. But instead, the story was told by shifting back and forth in time countless times, which at some point made me feel emotionally detached from the story and the characters. The bad bad makeup (I guess we can all agree on that~) was also very distracting. The elderly characters looked like wax figures to me.

That said, I really LOVED Eastwood's score. It was moving and really fit the mood of the film. His direction and camera-work were masterful as always. Leo was very convincing as J. Edgar, although I keep on seeing bits and pieces of Howard Hughes in his performance. Judi Dench and Naomi Watts were both great, however the same thing can not be said about Armie Hammer. I thought he was much better in The Social Network. There were a few good moments between him and Leo, but his performance as the elderly Clyde Tolson was darn right awful. I blame the horrible makeup.

As for the Oscars, this film will get a few nominations, but I doubt that it would become a strong contender. Though Leo's performance was not without its flaws, I thought it was more than enough to secure his leading actor nomination. Nods for best art direction, best cinematography and best score are also quite possible.

This film had the potential to become a masterpiece, but fell short of my expectations mainly due to the uneven script. While far from being one of his best, it is nevertheless a welcome addition to Eastwood's portfolio.

8/10