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Title: J. Edgar (2011)
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| 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 | |
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. Written by garykmcd
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American actor, producer, composer and director Clint Eastwood's thirty-third feature film is an American production which was written by screenwriter Dustin Lance Black. It tells the story about J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972), who grew up with his two elder siblings in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood of Washington. In 1917, after receiving his Master of Laws degree at the George Washington University, he was hired as a clerk by the Justice Departement where he meet Helen W. Gandy (1897-1988) who would become his personal secretary. J. Edgar Hoover was a very private, secretive and ambitious man who was totally dedicated to his job. He lived with his mother Anne Marie and didn't have much of a social life, but in 1924, J. Edgar Hoover became the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and during this period he meet a confidential secretary for the Secretary of War named Clyde Tolson (1900-1975), whom he hired as his vice director.
This biographical period film depicts J. Edgar Hoover's participation in the extensive investigation of the kidnapping of the one-year-old son of aviators Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974) and Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1906-2001), which took place in 1932, his ongoing fight against crime and communism, his private search for information which he could use to blackmail senator Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968) and his unjustified attempts at undermining the reputation of American activist and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr (1929-1968). Precisely and engagingly directed and with a tightly structured narrative, this detailed and descriptive portrayal of a multifaceted man with some very bright and some very dark attributes draws an intriguing study of character with poignant depictions of the main character's relationship with his encouraging mother Anne Marie Scheitlin Hoover (1860-1938), his relationship with his loyal secretary Helen W. Gandy and a poignant though ambiguous depiction of his relationship with his devoted friend Clyde Tolson.
This fast-paced and dialog-driven drama is notable for its austere atmosphere which is reinforced by the prominent use of light and Clint Eastwood's tangible score, and the reverent acting performances by English actress Naomi Watts, English actress Judi Dench, American actor Armie Hammer and especially Leonardo DiCaprio, who delivers a variable and emphatic acting performance in an atypical role where he is transformed by the make-up. A dark and gripping mystery and crime story which is complimented by a low-keyed love story.