"Edgar, can you keep a secret?"
I can't say I've had much of a fascination for J. Edgar Hoover, he always came across to me as a bit of paranoid arsehole. I'm not saying you can't make a great film out of that, but, eh, I just find myself caring less and less as these various miniscule pieces of recent American history get brought to the screen. Clint Eastwood's latest last-ditch grab for Oscar glory sees him team up with Leonardo DiCaprio for a 20th Century period biopic that calls to mind Eastwood's other recent film Changeling. You're interest in this film will probably vary depending on how interested you are in the subject matter. For those not in the know, Hoover was a pioneering bureaucrat who pretty much invented the FBI as we know it. He became notorious for accumulating power via the magic of blackmail, and infamous for the fact that he was allegedly a bit of a cross dresser.
Hoover was a man who traded in information. He amassed it and found new ways to catalogue it in an accessible fashion, and ultimately used this for power. As bad as that sounds he was also responsible for innovative new techniques in fighting crime, and the creation of the modern FBI and its methods. He was a man who valued loyalty whilst contradictorily using state secrets to blackmail his peers, and Eastwood, DiCaprio and writer Dustin Lance Black all try to get to the bottom of this flaw as authentically as possible - creating a fairly believable portrait of a fanatic. Eastwood has (as usual) made a pretty solid film. DiCaprio is actually really good as J. Edgar... he gives a similar kind of performance to the one he gave in The Aviator, tapping into paranoia and insecurity to bring a distant and secretive historical figure to life. In this case he also modifies his voice somewhat, capturing Hoover's peculiar way of speaking.
I'm probably just being overly cynical here but Eastwood does seem to be chasing critical glory by trying to combine his own interests (right wing politics and American history) and touchy modern issues (homosexuality) by creating a 'Brokeback G-Men' kind of tale. I'm glad they made mention of the fact that Hoover was a cross dresser... I know it's not entirely relevant to his career, but it's an interesting and unexpected facet of his personality and I would've felt cheated that a biopic about him would ignore it altogether. His hidden homosexuality is dealt with, but it's all very tame and the view taken is that Hoover repressed it completely (which contradicts various historical accounts). Some of it is inadvertantly camp in it's complete seriousness, especially when Hoover admits to his male companion that he 'needed' him. It feels very much like Eastwood chasing awards by marrying 'edgy' gay material with a big budget biopic about America and democracy.
At the end of the day, despite it's pretensions, it's an enjoyable enough by-the-numbers biopic. We get the 'destined for greatness' speech, flashbacks at crucial moments, an elderly Hoover framing device (argh, why must all biopics do this now?), and a terrorism subtext that makes it relevant for modern audiences.It fizzles a bit towards the end when it focuses more on Hoover's descent into villainy, and cuts across two different time frames a little too much, but overall it's acceptable in a meat and potatoes sort of way. Who knew that Hollywood, whose greatest enemy was once Hoover, would eventually produce a fairly balanced and sympathetic biopic about the man?
At the end of the day, despite it's pretensions, it's an enjoyable enough by-the-numbers biopic. We get the 'destined for greatness' speech, flashbacks at crucial moments, an elderly Hoover framing device (argh, why must all biopics do this now?), and a terrorism subtext that makes it relevant for modern audiences.It fizzles a bit towards the end when it focuses more on Hoover's descent into villainy, and cuts across two different time frames a little too much, but overall it's acceptable in a meat and potatoes sort of way. Who knew that Hollywood, whose greatest enemy was once Hoover, would eventually produce a fairly balanced and sympathetic biopic about the man?
LOWPOINT: Various famous American politicians appear, and all I'll say is... Worst. Nixon. Ever.
DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood
WRITER/SOURCE: Dustin Lance Black
KEY ACTORS: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Donovan, Lea Thompson
RELATED TEXTS
- Eastwood's other recent crime period piece was Changeling.
- For a history of the other big American investigative organisation (the CIA) see The Good Shepherd.
- J. Edgar features and makes reference to the gangster classic The Public Enemy.
AWARDS
AFIs - nominated for Best International Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio).
Golden Globes - nominated for Best Actor - Drama (DiCaprio)
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