J. Edgar

2011, 15, Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Judi Dench, Naomi Watts

There is plenty of reason to gather excitement over a Clint Eastwood feature that depicts the much-speculated life of J. Edgar Hoover, the enigmatic figure who birthed the Federal Bureau Investigation, formulated the fingerprinting database and pranced about in women’s clothing. This is a biopic on a grand scale – one where the central character is embroiled in plenty of chronicled moments of the past century in America. The Kennedys, Martin Luther King, Communism; Clint ensures these are present in some manner. But it comes as a surprise that J. Edgar, for all its might, is more interested in adding to the intense scrutiny of his private life. In between the weighty moments where Hoover (a ferociously fervent and damn impressive Leonardo DiCaprio) dictates his memoirs to a scribe, as he reflects upon his 48 years as FBI director, his unconsummated and largely unspoken homosexual feelings towards colleague Clyde Tolson (The Social Network’s Armie Hammer) are where screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk) appears to be most interested. No issue, apart from the fact that plot points and character interactions proposed near the commencement of the film are flung to the wayside by the halfway point, Naomi Watt’s trusty secretary Helen Gandy a prime victim. In fact, she is given the same thing to do countless times throughout the 137 minutes running time to the point where you wonder why the hell she is still working with the man himself so many years down the line. Judi Dench manages to shed some light as to the reason why her beloved Edgar is such an enigma; in one of the darker, more memorable scenes of the film, she tells an anecdote which explicitly states her views on homosexuality. That scene – as fictional as it may be - provides enough exposition as to why our unreliable narrator is so tightly wound. One thing is for sure - he is performed to the hilt by DiCaprio. It doesn’t matter whether it’s sprightly, young J. Edgar or prosthetic-induced old age J. Edgar, Leo shows how well he deals with versatility. It’s a shame then that the film as a whole is a rather underwhelming effort, not helped by the fact that huge promise surrounded a piece that was weighed down by a poor script, structure and use of prosthetics. A wasted opportunity.

2.5/5