J. EDGAR (2011)

Genre: Drama/Biography
Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Armie Hammer, Ed Westwick, Damon Herriman, Judi Dench, Josh Lucas, Ken Howard, Lea Coco, Stephen Root, Jeffrey Donovan, Miles Fisher, Dermot Mulroney
Runtime: 2 hrs 17 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Homosexual Content)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: http://jedgarmovie.warnerbros.com/

Opening Day: 9 February 2012

Synopsis: During his lifetime, J. Edgar Hoover would rise to be the most powerful man in America. As head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for nearly 50 years, he would stop at nothing to protect his country. Through eight presidents and three wars, Hoover waged battle against threats both real and perceived, often bending the rules to keep his countrymen safe. His methods were at once ruthless and heroic, with the admiration of the world his most coveted, if ever elusive, prize. Hoover was a man who placed great value on secrets—particularly those of others—and was not afraid to use that information to exert authority over the leading figures in the nation. Understanding that knowledge is power and fear poses opportunity, he used both to gain unprecedented influence and to build a reputation that was both formidable and untouchable. He was as guarded in his private life as he was in his public one, allowing only a small and protective inner circle into his confidence. His closest colleague, Clyde Tolson, was also his constant companion. His secretary, Helen Gandy, who was perhaps most privy to Hoover’s designs, remained loyal to the end…and beyond. Only Hoover’s mother, who served as his inspiration and his conscience, would leave him, her passing truly crushing to the son who forever sought her love and approval. As seen through the eyes of Hoover himself, “J. Edgar” explores the personal and public life and relationships of a man who could distort the truth as easily as he upheld it during a life devoted to his own idea of justice, often swayed by the darker side of power.

Movie Review:

Never one to settle for easy moviegoing fare, Clint Eastwood has here attempted one of his most challenging movies of recent years with a biopic on the late head honcho of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through eight elected presidents and nearly half a century of American history. His name was J. Edgar Hoover, and though his legacy may not resonate immediately with audiences this side of the world, his imprint- especially for pioneering the use of modern-day scientific techniques for criminal investigations- is unmistakable.

Yet as much as the man was admired for his service in protecting the nation, Hoover was also an autocratic leader not afraid to subvert the constitutional freedoms of its citizens- and even its political figures. He was a man who craved for absolute power and demanded absolute loyalty, his small circle of confidantes consisting of his longtime secretary Helen Grady (Naomi Watts) and his second-in-command Clyde Tolson (Arnie Hammer). Speaking of the latter, Hoover was also rumoured to have a closeted relationship with Tolson- even though no convincing proof of a romantic or sexual relationship between Hoover and Tolson has ever been found.

Like we said, Hoover was a complex subject formidable for even the best filmmaker to compress into a two-hour feature. Nonetheless, under the assured hands of a director whose movies have revealed a keen fascination with the inner complexities of tough brawny men, ‘J. Edgar’ is a thoroughly engrossing and absolutely fascinating portrayal of the larger-than-life character. Eastwood handles the potentially salacious subject matter with his trademark even-handedness- and though his approach has its fair share of detractors, it is in this reviewer’s opinion a laudable trait of the film that it neither embellishes Hoover for his achievements nor chastises him for his faults.

The narrative structure by which Eastwood and his screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (the Academy Award-winning scribe of ‘Milk’) has chosen may seem a little disjointed at the start, but its brilliance really shines through much later. The first sight they offer their audiences of Hoover is startling- it is the early 1960s, and the Hoover we see in the midst of dictating his memoirs to one of several young agent-stenographers is old and balding. With Hoover’s voiceovers, we are led through the key events in his eventful career from his perspective. Yes, make no mistake, what we are seeing is not the objective truth but a version of the truth as recollected by Hoover.

So beginning with the 1919 anarchist bombing of Woodrow Wilson’s attorney general A. Mitchell Palmer, we watch as Hoover gets placed in charge of the General Intelligence Division within Palmer’s Bureau of Investigation and proves his tenacity through the execution of a series of violent raids against suspected Communist labour organisations as well as the subsequent deportation of their members- including the most high-profile of them all, Emma Goldman (Jessica Hecht). By 1924 when Hoover is appointed Director of the Bureau, it is clear that the man- intelligent though he was- had both paranoid and self-aggrandising inclinations that went to the extent of vetting prospective agents based on the facial hair above their upper lip.

These attributes only become more apparent as Hoover insists aggressively on stamping his name in history by being the arresting officer of high-profile gangsters- and nowhere is this more so than in his insistence on personally leading the team in the investigation and subsequent arrest of the man responsible for the kidnapping and murder of aviator Charles Lindbergh’s (Josh Lucas) baby. Eastwood spends more time on this particular case than others given its significance, as Hoover exploits it to demonstrate the efficacy of his forensic methods and successfully lobby Congress for expanded government powers under what is commonly known as the ‘Lindbergh Law’.

It is testament to Eastwood’s skill that his film so fluidly intercuts between Hoover’s public life and his private life, the latter of which consists of the oedipal exchanges with his mother Annie (Judi Dench) as well as the attraction he has towards Clyde. The two are closely intertwined- there are obvious strong feelings between the two men, which Hoover vehemently represses following stern words from his mother ‘I'd rather have a dead son than a daffodil for a son’. Eastwood is especially delicate in his handling of their purported relationship, and the only time he shows the pair confronting their attraction for each other is a heated argument they have when sharing a hotel suite up in Del Mar that erupts into a brawl and…(gasp!) a kiss. Most times however, Eastwood settles for meaningful gestures between the two- the lunches they take, the trips they share, and the occasional hand on the other to demonstrate mutual affection.

The attention Eastwood pays to both Hoover’s public persona and intimate life and the approach he has taken to portray either truly pays off in the film’s last half hour. Despite a debilitating stroke, Clyde continues to be the voice of reason against Hoover’s maniacal ways (including ordering that a wiretap be arranged on civil rights leader Martin Luther King whom he considered the most dangerous man in America) and the one who will eventually expose to us the extent of Hoover’s self-aggrandisement right from the very beginning of the film. The twist is utterly compelling, and ultimately validates the hopscotch structure of events by which Black has chosen to tell Hoover’s story.

Once again proving his keen ability at choosing the right actors for his material, Leonardo DiCaprio is absolutely stunning in the lead role. Whether as the young and ambitious upstart with an unwavering belief in his methods or buried under a ton of age-inducing latex as the greying titan equally-if not more- unyielding in his beliefs, DiCaprio is mesmerising in every frame. His is also a remarkably consistent performance, adopting a near-Southern accent and an aggressively persuasive manner of speech especially in front of Congress that is also his character’s way of overcoming childhood stuttering. No doubt it is one of the most powerful performances you’ll see this year, and an utter disgrace that the Academy has snubbed it in favour of less worthy ones.

Eastwood surrounds DiCaprio with excellent supporting perfs, chief among them is Arnie Hammer’s take on Clyde Tolson. Befitting of Clyde’s nature, Hammer gives a subtle, understated turn as both the emotional other-half and the moral whole of the movie, and shares a warm chemistry with DiCaprio that easily convinces of their characters’ mutual attraction. As for the ladies, Judi Dench is outstanding as ever, using what time she shares onscreen with DiCaprio to convey without question the commanding influence her character has over Hoover’s life- though Naomi Watts gets short shrift as Hoover’s secretary, sidelined all too quickly once her character rejects the latter’s romantic overtures.

Nonetheless, that’s a minor quibble for a film that understandably has a lot to cover. Black does a fine job crafting a densely detailed and fascinating portrait of Hoover, brought to life dynamically by Eastwood’s sturdy direction that steadfastly refuses to lionise nor demonise the man. Eastwood’s achievement is also placing the man’s actions against the context of the day, and letting Hoover’s necessary or excessive methods speak for themselves. Engaging, engrossing and thought-provoking, Eastwood's biopic of one of the most powerful men in modern-day American history is old-school filmmaking at its very best. 

Movie Rating:

(Boasting a tour de force performance by Leonardo DiCaprio, this riveting biopic of one of the most powerful persons in modern-day American history is not to be missed!)

Review by Gabriel Chong