Clint Eastwood's latest directorial feature is a biopic about J. Edgar Hoover, the man who created the Federal Bureau of Investigation and remained as its director under 8 different Presidents until his death in 1972. This is a long amount of time to cover, but Dustin Lance Black's script weaves effortlessly between time periods and episodes, building up a portrait of this enigmatic man and his startling career.
Playing Hoover is Leonardo DiCaprio, who simply melts into the role. His voice is different (there's a stray DiCaprio inflection at times, which only serves to remind you of how hard that odd accent is to pull off), while the make-up and extra pounds of prostheses make him far removed from the pretty-boy image of his Titanic days. He is clearly in the running for another Oscar nomination here, and judging from the films I've seen so far this year, he's a definite contender. The performance is reminiscent of his work in The Aviator, the biopic of Howard Hawkes. Both characters were from the same time period, and were famously eccentric men, but while Hawkes' excesses were those of a millionaire with a passion for airplanes, films, and starlets, Hoover's excesses are far more intellectual. And as such, I find this performance to be slightly more compelling. DiCaprio has to emote all he can (a hard task given the layers of make-up on his face at varying points in the film) in order to give us a glimpse of the inner workings of this famous man that we know so little about. His only confidants are his personal secretary, Helen Gandy (a woman whose only ambition is work, not marriage, and is portrayed wonderfully by Naomi Watts) and his deputy director, Clyde Tolson. Tolson is played masterfully by Armie Hammer, who I think deserves a Best Supporting Actor nomination solely for the way he portrays the elderly Tolson when he is recovering from a stroke. Unlike DiCaprio, I found Hammer's make-up as an old man somewhat less convincing, but after watching his mannerisms and the weariness of his gait, I quickly suspended my disbelief. The man can act and he holds his own against the established talents of Watts and DiCaprio.
The relationship between Hoover and Tolson has been rife with speculation, and this film decides to take the middle ground - the two men do love each other, but the relationship never goes beyond one violent kiss. They stand by each other through thick and thin until Hoover's death, rarely even missing a meal together. Similarly, Helen Gandy is unfailingly by Hoover's side, the only one he trusts to handle his confidential files bearing secrets about the powerful and influential people of the time. He tasks her to destroy these files immediately upon news of his death so that President Nixon cannot get to them, a task that she duly carries out at the end of the film. All of these events are guesswork, there's no concrete proof to establish the truth of the conversations these three people had and how they felt about each other. But it is true that they spent their lives together and shared an implicit trust that no one else in the FBI was privy to. The film merely tries to give us one version of an unknowable story, and in so doing, lends some heart and emotion to the tale. Aside from this trio, Hoover's relationship with his mother (Judi Dench, stealing the show as always) explains many of his tics and hang-ups, why he speaks so fast, why he likes things and people a certain way, and in one powerful scene, shows us the possible origins of Hoover's alleged cross-dressing.
Apart from the speculative scenes, there are several depictions of key moments in the 20th century that will pique the interest of any enthusiast of American history. We see how Hoover and the FBI had to roust out communists and anarchists, arrest violent gangsters like John Dillinger, institute new laws, investigate the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, and establish scientific investigative techniques and a central fingerprinting database. In fact, Hoover seems to have cemented the methodical and rigorous approach to crime solving and CSI that has shaped our current view of proper police procedure. Any cinephile will perk up at the mention of Lucille Ball, Ginger Rogers, or Dorothy Lamour, and enjoy the screening of Jimmy Cagney movies that alternately portray the FBI in an unfavorable and then glowing light. Even though the film is chronicling the life of this one man, it also chronicles the ever-changing United States and does so with a flair and attention to detail that is characteristic of Eastwood's movies.
From the very look and feel of the sets, to the costumes, make-up, and lighting, everything immerses you in the world of J. Edgar Hoover. Eastwood is an efficient director - his scenes are crisp and succinct, and the pacing keeps you on your toes. As you go back and forth between time periods, you are mesmerized by the sheer volume of information that is handled so effortlessly and nothing feels wasted or superfluous. I never knew much about Hoover, but after watching this movie, I came away wanting to read more about him and see if I could sort out what elements of the film were fact and which were fiction. Any biopic that can inspire this kind of interest in its subject has clearly done something right.
Playing Hoover is Leonardo DiCaprio, who simply melts into the role. His voice is different (there's a stray DiCaprio inflection at times, which only serves to remind you of how hard that odd accent is to pull off), while the make-up and extra pounds of prostheses make him far removed from the pretty-boy image of his Titanic days. He is clearly in the running for another Oscar nomination here, and judging from the films I've seen so far this year, he's a definite contender. The performance is reminiscent of his work in The Aviator, the biopic of Howard Hawkes. Both characters were from the same time period, and were famously eccentric men, but while Hawkes' excesses were those of a millionaire with a passion for airplanes, films, and starlets, Hoover's excesses are far more intellectual. And as such, I find this performance to be slightly more compelling. DiCaprio has to emote all he can (a hard task given the layers of make-up on his face at varying points in the film) in order to give us a glimpse of the inner workings of this famous man that we know so little about. His only confidants are his personal secretary, Helen Gandy (a woman whose only ambition is work, not marriage, and is portrayed wonderfully by Naomi Watts) and his deputy director, Clyde Tolson. Tolson is played masterfully by Armie Hammer, who I think deserves a Best Supporting Actor nomination solely for the way he portrays the elderly Tolson when he is recovering from a stroke. Unlike DiCaprio, I found Hammer's make-up as an old man somewhat less convincing, but after watching his mannerisms and the weariness of his gait, I quickly suspended my disbelief. The man can act and he holds his own against the established talents of Watts and DiCaprio.
The relationship between Hoover and Tolson has been rife with speculation, and this film decides to take the middle ground - the two men do love each other, but the relationship never goes beyond one violent kiss. They stand by each other through thick and thin until Hoover's death, rarely even missing a meal together. Similarly, Helen Gandy is unfailingly by Hoover's side, the only one he trusts to handle his confidential files bearing secrets about the powerful and influential people of the time. He tasks her to destroy these files immediately upon news of his death so that President Nixon cannot get to them, a task that she duly carries out at the end of the film. All of these events are guesswork, there's no concrete proof to establish the truth of the conversations these three people had and how they felt about each other. But it is true that they spent their lives together and shared an implicit trust that no one else in the FBI was privy to. The film merely tries to give us one version of an unknowable story, and in so doing, lends some heart and emotion to the tale. Aside from this trio, Hoover's relationship with his mother (Judi Dench, stealing the show as always) explains many of his tics and hang-ups, why he speaks so fast, why he likes things and people a certain way, and in one powerful scene, shows us the possible origins of Hoover's alleged cross-dressing.
Apart from the speculative scenes, there are several depictions of key moments in the 20th century that will pique the interest of any enthusiast of American history. We see how Hoover and the FBI had to roust out communists and anarchists, arrest violent gangsters like John Dillinger, institute new laws, investigate the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, and establish scientific investigative techniques and a central fingerprinting database. In fact, Hoover seems to have cemented the methodical and rigorous approach to crime solving and CSI that has shaped our current view of proper police procedure. Any cinephile will perk up at the mention of Lucille Ball, Ginger Rogers, or Dorothy Lamour, and enjoy the screening of Jimmy Cagney movies that alternately portray the FBI in an unfavorable and then glowing light. Even though the film is chronicling the life of this one man, it also chronicles the ever-changing United States and does so with a flair and attention to detail that is characteristic of Eastwood's movies.
From the very look and feel of the sets, to the costumes, make-up, and lighting, everything immerses you in the world of J. Edgar Hoover. Eastwood is an efficient director - his scenes are crisp and succinct, and the pacing keeps you on your toes. As you go back and forth between time periods, you are mesmerized by the sheer volume of information that is handled so effortlessly and nothing feels wasted or superfluous. I never knew much about Hoover, but after watching this movie, I came away wanting to read more about him and see if I could sort out what elements of the film were fact and which were fiction. Any biopic that can inspire this kind of interest in its subject has clearly done something right.
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