J. Edgar

Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts and Judi Dench
Releasing in cinemas: 26 January 2012
Rated: M

Many doubted the youthfully-featured Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception) would make a convincing J. Edgar Hoover, the monstrous master of the FBI who, for nearly 50 years, bullied and blackmailed to keep power, holding top political figures in fear. You simply had to have faith in the exceptional talent of prodigious veteran filmmaker, Clint Eastwood that somehow this would work. Here's the news; J. Edgar turns out to be a remarkable portrayal of that controversial figure, quite uncharacteristic of DiCaprio himself.

Hoover collected secret files on all who might oppose him, including President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert. Hoover's own private life however wouldn't have stood up to such scrutiny at the time. The full details never became public, although rumours of cross-dressing and other deviations were rife. Eastwood’s film depicts him as a reviled frightening man, who would stop at nothing to get his way, with sexual hang-ups haunting him throughout his career. His domineering homophobic mother (Judi Dench) tells him, “I'd rather have a dead son than a daffodil.” That remark stifles his whole life.

The film commences with a middle-aged Hoover dictating his memoirs to young agents, so the present generation can learn his side of history. He's the hero of his imagination; in a series of  flashbacks we see his early career, finally installing himself in the top job at the newly formed FBI, refusing to allow anything to block his progress. Hoover's hatred of Communists and radicals goes a long way back, beginning with anarchist bombings in 1919, when U.S. Attorney-General A. Mitchell Palmer took the law into his own hands. Supported by Hoover - then only 24 - he leads what would become the FBI in an attack on suspect dissidents, without evidence of their crimes.

With an obsession about cleanliness and personal presentation, Hoover insisted his FBI men were well turned out, even to checking shoe shines. His fame spread with early cases like the Lindbergh kidnapping manhunt, and the final capture of notorious gangster John Dillinger. His press machine made him the hero of such events, but in fact he wasn't present when Dillinger was gunned down. Hoover gained fame even through comic strips.

With affection for young FBI secretary Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts), Hoover begins a long platonic relationship with her, though he never actually married her. This resulted in Helen becoming his confidential secretary for the rest of his life, trusted with his infamous secret files on people in high places. Later Hoover became a natural strong supporter of the McCarthy witch hunt for Communists.

His private life however was another matter entirely. Hoover is fascinated with the stylish and handsome Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer), an FBI colleague. They become constant lifetime companions even taking holidays together. It's suggested despite sexual attraction for each other, Hoover dared not act on this, due to the influence of his unforgiving nightmare mother.

Working from a script by Dustin Lance Black (Milk), director Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino) has crafted a impressive biopic with consummate skill. It’s hard to know how close to the truth it gets; nevertheless it's fascinating to watch DiCaprio in action. With a strident fast delivery, he captures the essence of this convoluted character. This is a riveting performance, considering he has to age half a century in the process.

Although playing a buttoned-up, fussy man, DiCaprio delivers strong emotion in memorable scenes; including his frustrated fight with Tolson, and later his touching farewell to him. His seriously weird courtship and proposal of marriage to Helen Gandy is another. The poignant sequence where he dons his mother’s dress after her death hints at a deeper problem. DiCaprio is up with the best outstanding portrayals in recent films of actors impersonating historical figures.

Eastwood skillfully maintains clarity in the complex flashbacks to different time zones, with convincing recreation of the era. He opens the film with a bang - a bomb blast smartly setting the story on its way. Naomi Watts (King Kong) has a rather mousy role as the faithful Helen. Judi Dench (My Week With Marilyn) romps in as the dreadful parent.

In any film covering such a great span of time, make-up is vital to age the actors. DiCaprio has been given a convincing facial treatment resembling Hoover, and he ages effectively. Armie Hammer (The Social Network) fares less well, his unconvincing aged make-up reminds of Orson Welles in latter scenes of Citizen Kane. Cinematographer Tom Stern omits fill light for shadows, lending a dark quality to the images, reflecting the murky nature of the saga.

Any biopic will be filtered through the filmmaker’s eyes, with possible bias. J. Edgar seems a reasonably balanced account of the puffed up ‘little’ man corrupted by his own power. Hoover’s heroic visions are shot to pieces by Tolson in the last reel, when we see the true nature of events in an ironic montage. 

John Bale