> REVIEW
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J. Edgar (2012)
The most powerful man in the world…
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By Conor Hunter | January 2012
DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood
WRITER: Dunstan Lance Black
J. Edgar is a collaboration between director Clint Eastwood and Dustin Lance Black, Oscar-winning writer of Milk. Like Milk, J. Edgar is a biopic examining the life, work and sexuality of an important American political figure. Unlike the openly gay Harvey Milk however, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover’s homosexuality was only alleged and it is believed that he was chaste, resulting in a darker examination of his repressed feelings.
The film attempts to show how Hoover built up the FBI, portray some of his more controversial actions and provide an examination of his private-life. However, the different threads provide conflicting views of Hoover and with no single theme developed above the others, the plot is left as confused as its protagonist.
The most interesting aspect of the film is undoubtedly Hoover’s personal relationships, providing the platform for an effectively understated performance from Leonardo DiCaprio, but these are broken up too much by expositional scenes that are about as emotionally engaging as reading a history book. This confusion is not helped by a framing narrative that causes the plot to drag even further.
The major case of Hoover’s career Eastwood chooses to examine is the kidnapping of Charles Lindburgh Jr. Although being the director of the FBI, as opposed to one of its agents means Hoover is unable to fill the traditional role of the sleuth. Rather than seeing him collect the clues that crack the case, most of the actual police-work is conducted independent of Hoover, who waits in his office for the information to be radioed in.
DiCaprio and Arnie Hammer portray the relationship between Hoover and assistant director Clyde Tolson with a powerful subtlety. Ironically, it is probably the moments where they are most in control of their feelings that the chemistry between the two actors is strongest. There are a couple of beats where their feelings are betrayed, but with no release of tension they fall flat leaving a lingering feeling that a more powerful and subtle examination may have been possible if Black trusted his actors’ performances and audience’s perceptions a little more.
The most impressive performance comes from Judi Dench as Anna Marie Hoover, J Edgar’s powerful and domineering mother. The James Cagney films The Public Enemy and The G Men both feature within the film suggesting a shift from public sympathy towards the side of the law. However, it is perhaps the Cagney film White Heat, with the ambitious Ma Jarrett, that best reflects J Edgar. Not only do both films feature a controlling and over-protective mother, they both utilise this as a convenient scapegoat for the psychological problems of their protagonists. A subtle reference to Hoover’s alleged cross-dressing provides the most powerful and chilling scene in the film.
Eastwood provides an interesting analysis of Hoover for those unfamiliar with his work, but ultimately does little more than expose some of the historical facts and rumours surrounding the man.
Script…………………………………………………………………………………………….
Black’s confused structure and hesitation between subtlety and bluntness in
examining Hoover’s sexuality leaves the script flat and without a clear point. 2
Direction………………………………………………………………………………………..
Eastwood lets DiCaprio deliver a powerful and subtle performance but ultimately
allows the film’s pace to drag too much. 3
Verdict…………………………………………………………………………………………..
DiCaprio’s performance and Hoover’s character itself generate interest, but both
Black and Eastwood have shown they are capable of better. 2
