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IMDbPro

J. Edgar

  • 2011
  • R
  • 2h 17m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
131K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,908
606
Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar (2011)
As the face of law enforcement in America for almost 50 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.
Play trailer2:33
18 Videos
99+ Photos
BiographyDramaRomance

J. Edgar Hoover, powerful head of the F.B.I. for nearly fifty years, looks back on his professional and personal life.J. Edgar Hoover, powerful head of the F.B.I. for nearly fifty years, looks back on his professional and personal life.J. Edgar Hoover, powerful head of the F.B.I. for nearly fifty years, looks back on his professional and personal life.

  • Director
    • Clint Eastwood
  • Writer
    • Dustin Lance Black
  • Stars
    • Leonardo DiCaprio
    • Armie Hammer
    • Naomi Watts
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    131K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,908
    606
    • Director
      • Clint Eastwood
    • Writer
      • Dustin Lance Black
    • Stars
      • Leonardo DiCaprio
      • Armie Hammer
      • Naomi Watts
    • 311User reviews
    • 400Critic reviews
    • 59Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 5 wins & 17 nominations

    Videos18

    U.S. Version
    Trailer 2:33
    Watch U.S. Version
    J. Edgar: You Perjured Yourself
    Clip 0:47
    Watch J. Edgar: You Perjured Yourself
    J. Edgar: My Work Comes First
    Clip 0:55
    Watch J. Edgar: My Work Comes First
    J. Edgar: That Was The Old Bureau
    Clip 0:51
    Watch J. Edgar: That Was The Old Bureau
    J. Edgar: Where's The Ransom Note?
    Clip 0:49
    Watch J. Edgar: Where's The Ransom Note?
    J. Edgar: I'm So Proud Of You
    Clip 0:39
    Watch J. Edgar: I'm So Proud Of You
    J. Edgar: The Lindbergh Law
    Clip 0:53
    Watch J. Edgar: The Lindbergh Law
    J. Edgar: Confidential Secret
    Clip 0:51
    Watch J. Edgar: Confidential Secret
    J. Edgar: Leave The Transcriptions With Me
    Clip 1:13
    Watch J. Edgar: Leave The Transcriptions With Me
    J. Edgar: Clint Eastwood On How He Got Involved
    Featurette 0:27
    Watch J. Edgar: Clint Eastwood On How He Got Involved
    J. Edgar: Josh Lucas On Getting The Role
    Featurette 1:00
    Watch J. Edgar: Josh Lucas On Getting The Role
    J. Edgar: Dermot Mulroney On Hoover As A Painter
    Featurette 0:36
    Watch J. Edgar: Dermot Mulroney On Hoover As A Painter

    Photos147

    Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar (2011)
    Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer in J. Edgar (2011)
    Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer in J. Edgar (2011)
    Brian Grazer and Robert Lorenz in J. Edgar (2011)
    Naomi Watts in J. Edgar (2011)
    Josh Lucas in J. Edgar (2011)
    Naomi Watts and Kelly Lester in J. Edgar (2011)
    Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, and Armie Hammer in J. Edgar (2011)
    Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar (2011)
    Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer in J. Edgar (2011)
    Leonardo DiCaprio and Damon Herriman in J. Edgar (2011)
    Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar (2011)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Leonardo DiCaprio
    Leonardo DiCaprio
    • J. Edgar Hoover
    Armie Hammer
    Armie Hammer
    • Clyde Tolson
    Naomi Watts
    Naomi Watts
    • Helen Gandy
    Josh Hamilton
    Josh Hamilton
    • Robert Irwin
    Geoff Pierson
    Geoff Pierson
    • Mitchell Palmer
    Cheryl Lawson
    • Palmer's Wife
    Kaitlyn Dever
    Kaitlyn Dever
    • Palmer's Daughter
    Brady Matthews
    Brady Matthews
    • Inspector
    Gunner Wright
    Gunner Wright
    • Dwight Eisenhower
    David A. Cooper
    David A. Cooper
    • Franklin Roosevelt
    Ed Westwick
    Ed Westwick
    • Agent Smith
    Kelly Lester
    Kelly Lester
    • Head Secretary
    Jack Donner
    Jack Donner
    • Edgar's Father
    Judi Dench
    Judi Dench
    • Annie Hoover
    Dylan Burns
    Dylan Burns
    • Hoover as a Child
    Jordan Bridges
    Jordan Bridges
    • Labor Dept. Lawyer
    Jack Axelrod
    • Caminetti
    Jessica Hecht
    Jessica Hecht
    • Emma Goldman
    • Director
      • Clint Eastwood
    • Writer
      • Dustin Lance Black
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Armie Hammer (Clyde Tolson) is the great-grandson of Occidental Petroleum tycoon Armand Hammer. In his biography of Hammer (the tycoon, not the actor) called "Dossier: The Secret History of Armand Hammer", author Edward Jay Epstein reported that the tycoon had a multi-decade history of being scrutinized and suspected of Soviet ties by J. Edgar Hoover. Armie stated in an interview that he took the role to avenge that scrutiny.
    • Goofs
      Neither Hoover nor Agent Melvin Purvis killed John Dillinger. Dillinger was actually gunned down by agents Clarence Hurt, Charles Winstead, and Herman Hollis. Most historical accounts give Winstead credit for delivering the fatal shot to the back of Dillinger's head. Ironically, given the film's depiction of Hoover as constantly claiming credit for the deed, Winstead received a personal letter of commendation from Hoover for it.
    • Quotes

      J. Edgar Hoover: Do I kill everything that I love?

    • Connections
      Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.16 (2011)
    • Soundtracks
      Goldberg Variation No. 2
      Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

      Performed by Gennady Loktionov

    User reviews311

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    A True Life Historical Figure
    The best that can be said for this film is that it got made. The subject matter, about the life of a dreadfully dull and stodgy old bureaucrat from a bygone era, is not in line with Hollywood's usual mass-produced action films aimed at brash young boys. I credit Director Eastwood and lead actor Leonardo Di Caprio with enough star power to convince the money-men to fund this project. And it turned a profit.

    But there are plenty of problems with "J. Edgar", not the least of which is a script that flips back and forth too much between the 1960s and earlier decades in Hoover's life. A lot of time is wasted on the gangster era of the 1920 and 30s, possibly because Di Caprio is so youthful looking, he fits a younger image of Hoover, in contrast to an aging old man in the 60s. Almost nothing is included about the JFK assassination and follow-up investigation despite the fact that Hoover played a central role in marketing the "lone-gunman" theory.

    Throughout, Hoover comes across as bureaucratic, rigid, moralistic, self-righteous, incapable of changing with the times, dishonest, and a hypocrite. Absent from the film are any virtuous qualities he may have had.

    As Hoover, Leonardo Di Caprio gives a better performance than I would have predicted. But the script does Di Caprio no favors. The dialogue for Hoover consists largely of platitudes and pronouncements. Hoover doesn't talk with people so much as make little speeches to them. And Di Caprio's monotone voice exaggerates this talking down to others effect.

    Hoover demanded loyalty from his staff. As his private secretary, Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts) is an interesting study in forced loyalty. Ditto Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer), as Hoover's sidekick.

    Cinematography is quite dark. Colors are heavily muted, almost monochromatic. Costumes and prod design are convincing across five decades. But makeup for an older Clyde Tolson is horrid; his face looks like a wax figure that's about to melt.

    "J. Edgar" could have been much better, had the script focused more on the sixties and shown Hoover's working relationship to the Kennedy's and Lyndon Johnson. And though I appreciate Di Caprio's efforts to get the film made, a different actor might have been more convincing in the role of Hoover. Still, the film is a reasonably good effort. It's worth watching once, if for no other reason than because it's a true story about a real-life historical figure.
    helpful•13
    2
    • Lechuguilla
    • Apr 24, 2013

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    FAQ2

    • Was J. Edgar Hoover gay?
    • Why was this film controversial?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 11, 2011 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site (Spain)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Hoover
    • Filming locations
      • Warrenton, Virginia, USA(Fauquier County courthouse exteriors)
    • Production companies
      • Imagine Entertainment
      • Malpaso Productions
      • Wintergreen Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $35,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $37,306,030
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $11,217,324
      • Nov 13, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $84,920,539
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 17 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Datasat
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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