This could have been one of the films of the year – it should be winning awards left, right and centre… and should be taking home a swag of awards on Oscars night. Instead J. Edgar becomes an average drama that is ruined by the filmmakers personal stance on J. Edgar Hoover.
J. Edgar is a biopic that takes a look at J. Edgar Hoover’s (Leonardo DiCaprio – Inception, Shutter Island) fifty year career as the head of the FBI as he helped found the use for modern crime solving technology. The film looks at his relationship with his mother, Anna (Judi Dench), his secretary, Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts – Dream House, Fair Game) and his right-hand man, Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer – The Social Network, 2081). It is also explores the impact (and influence) that each of these people had on his life and career.
The sad thing about J. Edgar is that Hoover lived a life that is more than worthy of a film based on it, and while things like the Hoover/Tolson relationship ring true you can never really get over the fact that screenwriter, Dustin Lance Black (Virginia, Milk) and director, Clint Eastwood (Hereafter, Invictus) have ended up showing Hoover as a hero (albeit a flawed one) while just skirting over and around the darker sides of his life that really showed him to be one of the biggest villains of the last century. To portray him as anything else is just trying to rewrite history…something filmmakers certainly shouldn’t try and do.
The saddest thing about J. Edgar is that once again Leonardo DiCaprio puts in a fine effort but is let down by filmmakers that seem to have completely lost control of the film. Take a look at the mask that is worn to show that Tolson has aged, at times it doesn’t even look like it fits Armie Hammer correctly… now that is just sloppy and unforgivable in today’s cinematic landscape.
J. Edgar is a real let down as a film. Over-long and completely biased it certainly does not make for good cinematic viewing.
Year: 2012
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Josh Hamilton, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench, Armie Hammer
Classification: M
Runtime: 137 mins
Rating: 