J. Edgar (2011)

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

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writer:

Dustin Lance Black

Stars:

Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 16 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:

gay relationship | fbi | secret | federal bureau of investigation | agent | 

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Taglines:

The Most Powerful Man in the World

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | History | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Spain]

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 USA:

$11,217,324, 13 November 2011, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$37,306,030

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$84,606,030

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:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Armie Hammer, who plays 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.

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Goofs

Many scenes involving press photographers pre-1930 erroneously show later-production flashguns with bulbs synced to camera shutters. Flashbulbs would not be commercially available until 1930, and reliable flash synchronization would follow later. Press photographers were still using flash powder and "open shutter" technique in the 1920s.

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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

Features The Public Enemy (1931)

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Soundtracks

Red Sails in the Sunset
Written by Jimmy Kennedy (as James Kennedy) and Will Grosz (as Hugh Williams)
Performed by Kyle Eastwood, Joe Bagg, Kye Palmer, Jason Harnell

User Reviews

Edgar and Clyde

Snipets of history and then a tabloid romance that, in its day, was made of rumor and innuendo. A psychotic, paranoid schizophrenic, as I see it, head of the most powerful Federal Bureau Of Investigation, corrupted by his own power and his obsession with secrecy is a character worthy of Peter Lorre but in this new outing of the prolific Clint Eastwood, J Edgar Hoover is Leonardo DiCaprio! I love both DiCaprio and Eastwood but not in this. I love DiCaprio for Gilbert Grape and Eastwood for The Outlaw Josey Wales and Unforgiven. Here they are both out of their depths. Long, boring film with terrible aging make-up and no real center. The most unexpected aspect was the time dedicated to the romance between J Edgar and Clyde Tolson. It humanized the man without revealing him. That's almost cheating.