J. Edgar (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
'J. Edgar' (directed by Clint Eastwood) explores the public & private life of one of the most powerful, controversial, admired, feared, & enigmatic figures in America - the 1st director of the FBI. The film chronicles his youth to his formidable law enforcement years to his dying day; and are detailed via copious flashbacks as he narrates (ugh) his story to young biographers. The screenplay is penned by Dustin Lance Black (who won an Oscar for Milk). It's a bit of a schizophrenic script; bouncing around from flashback to present, flashback to present, constantly banging out a 'Greatest Hits' approach to all of Hoover's administrative escapades (attacking communist radicals, hunting down Prohibition era outlaws, harboring secret files that could destroy him, painstaking investigation of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, blackmailing the Kennedys; then pursuing a vendetta against Martin Luther King).
Quite simply, not all of it works. What does work - when it isn't being nudged out by the next clipped flashback to a Hoover victory/debacle - is the touching inquiry into Hoover's sexuality. The film suggests that Hoover was in love with his flamboyant deputy director Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer, of The Social Network), but could do very little about it. Most he'd allow himself to do is to be near Clyde, and he wound up living with him for a good many years (hence speculation that they were more than mere friends). Not unlike what occurs in Brokeback Mountain, this love story is spun so that Hoover couldn't deal with his own feelings of sexual denial or a society that would never approve of a homosexual relationship. Take the words of Hoover's homophobe mother, played here by Judi Dench: 'I'd rather have a dead son than a daffodil'. That kind of sentiment ruined Hoover's psyche.
My feelings of 'J. Edgar' are simple. The 1st hour drags & is convoluted. But the 2nd hour is smoother, more convincing, & ultimately moving. In the flashbacks that work, we see Hoover as a man desperate to create an idea of himself, to embellish public perception of his persona, & also of his FBI deeds. I know that Clint's intent was to show how Hoover's past, present, public, & personal life all were part & parcel of each other. That's ambitious. Commendable. And when Clint nails it, he nails it. But too often, the flashbacks proved both hectic & boring in the grand scheme of things. I would also describe 'J. Edgar' as a somber film. Aside from a handful of light scenes, this is a heavy, dark lit, de-saturated film about the man both in front of & behind the curtain (so to speak).
DiCaprio is, at times, masterful. I found him most convincing when older (and in great old age make-up). The gait with which he walked, the wearying repression lying across his face, the anguish in his voice ... it all worked. I also found him fantastic in 2 particular scenes (when he's younger): 1) after a violent hotel room argument in which Clyde is fed up with Hoover's inability to come clean about his desires, Clyde angrily kisses him & Hoover whelps, "Please don't leave me!" - Leo's line delivery went right through me like a thunderbolt. And 2) a heartbreaking cross-dressing scene in which Leo drops to the ground.
I think it's interesting that one of the main reasons I feel his performance works is because Hoover seemed like a man who felt uneasy in his skin; a man whose macho posturing covered-up for something else. And at times, I've felt Leo (the actor) comes across the same way; a man who still dodges perception that he's too much of a pretty boy & not rugged enough to convince in lead roles - however formidable his talent may be. Armie Hammer, like Leo, excels in the scenes when he's old (buried under old age make-up). But I found him less effective in his younger scenes (distractingly poor, at times, in fact). And the other performance of note comes from Naomi Watts, who plays Hoover's faithful & lifelong secretary (entrusted with all of his secret files). Watts makes the most of a small role.
I respect a lot in this film. Once it escapes the 1st hour (full of fragmented narrative jumps & iffy line readings), it settles into a low-key, but tranquil pace/mode that I found quite appealing. 'J. Edgar' is a decent biography about an extraordinary historical figure; an undeniable patriot, but also a man who ruined lives. I just think that the small love story at the chilly heart of the film needed breathing room away from the Greatest Hits treatment of Hoover's professional life. 81 yr. old Clint Eastwood missed an opportunity to knock this out of the ball park. Whether it was a rushed project (Clint has churned out 7 films in the last 6 yrs.) or directorial fatigue, 'J. Edgar' struggles to find smooth sailing; even if DiCaprio proves to be a great captain at the helm.
Quite simply, not all of it works. What does work - when it isn't being nudged out by the next clipped flashback to a Hoover victory/debacle - is the touching inquiry into Hoover's sexuality. The film suggests that Hoover was in love with his flamboyant deputy director Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer, of The Social Network), but could do very little about it. Most he'd allow himself to do is to be near Clyde, and he wound up living with him for a good many years (hence speculation that they were more than mere friends). Not unlike what occurs in Brokeback Mountain, this love story is spun so that Hoover couldn't deal with his own feelings of sexual denial or a society that would never approve of a homosexual relationship. Take the words of Hoover's homophobe mother, played here by Judi Dench: 'I'd rather have a dead son than a daffodil'. That kind of sentiment ruined Hoover's psyche.
My feelings of 'J. Edgar' are simple. The 1st hour drags & is convoluted. But the 2nd hour is smoother, more convincing, & ultimately moving. In the flashbacks that work, we see Hoover as a man desperate to create an idea of himself, to embellish public perception of his persona, & also of his FBI deeds. I know that Clint's intent was to show how Hoover's past, present, public, & personal life all were part & parcel of each other. That's ambitious. Commendable. And when Clint nails it, he nails it. But too often, the flashbacks proved both hectic & boring in the grand scheme of things. I would also describe 'J. Edgar' as a somber film. Aside from a handful of light scenes, this is a heavy, dark lit, de-saturated film about the man both in front of & behind the curtain (so to speak).
DiCaprio is, at times, masterful. I found him most convincing when older (and in great old age make-up). The gait with which he walked, the wearying repression lying across his face, the anguish in his voice ... it all worked. I also found him fantastic in 2 particular scenes (when he's younger): 1) after a violent hotel room argument in which Clyde is fed up with Hoover's inability to come clean about his desires, Clyde angrily kisses him & Hoover whelps, "Please don't leave me!" - Leo's line delivery went right through me like a thunderbolt. And 2) a heartbreaking cross-dressing scene in which Leo drops to the ground.
I think it's interesting that one of the main reasons I feel his performance works is because Hoover seemed like a man who felt uneasy in his skin; a man whose macho posturing covered-up for something else. And at times, I've felt Leo (the actor) comes across the same way; a man who still dodges perception that he's too much of a pretty boy & not rugged enough to convince in lead roles - however formidable his talent may be. Armie Hammer, like Leo, excels in the scenes when he's old (buried under old age make-up). But I found him less effective in his younger scenes (distractingly poor, at times, in fact). And the other performance of note comes from Naomi Watts, who plays Hoover's faithful & lifelong secretary (entrusted with all of his secret files). Watts makes the most of a small role.
I respect a lot in this film. Once it escapes the 1st hour (full of fragmented narrative jumps & iffy line readings), it settles into a low-key, but tranquil pace/mode that I found quite appealing. 'J. Edgar' is a decent biography about an extraordinary historical figure; an undeniable patriot, but also a man who ruined lives. I just think that the small love story at the chilly heart of the film needed breathing room away from the Greatest Hits treatment of Hoover's professional life. 81 yr. old Clint Eastwood missed an opportunity to knock this out of the ball park. Whether it was a rushed project (Clint has churned out 7 films in the last 6 yrs.) or directorial fatigue, 'J. Edgar' struggles to find smooth sailing; even if DiCaprio proves to be a great captain at the helm.