J. Edgar

We've all seen biopics before, most recently being the superb "Moneyball", but where that film was more just informational, "J. Edgar" was not only informational, but extremely intense also.

As the face of law enforcement in America for 48 years, J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would've destroyed his image, his career and his life. In his day he was the most powerful man in the world, as the selling slogan of the film dictates, mostly because he had so much information on infuential people that was at his finger tips, being the one that spear-headed the FBI as we know it today and also instituting the fingerprint process forensically.

Even though this man was brilliant, through his domineering mother, Annie (Judi Dench), his right-hand man, Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer) and his loyal secretary, Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts), he held on to these secrets with a death grip. Between his personal demons and all the politics going on at the time, it's amazing he was able to hold on as long as he did.
Others to round out the cast are Josh Lucas as Charles Lindbergh, Ed Westwick as Agent Smith, Damon Herriman as Bruno Hauptmann, the one accused of kidnapping and subsequently killing Lindbergh's baby, Stephen Root as Arthur Koehler, who headed up Hoover's forensic lab, Jeffrey Donovan as Robert Kennedy, Ken Howard as Harlan Fiske Stone, Josh Hamilton as Robert Irwin, and Christopher Shyer as Richard Nixon.

This was directed with perfection by Clint Eastwood ("Play Misty for Me" '71, "The Beguiled" '72, "High Plains Drifter" '73, "The Outlaw Josey Wales" '76, "Firefox" '82, "Pale Rider" '85, "Bird" '88, "Unforgiven" '92, "A Perfect World" '93, "True Crime" '99, "Blood Work" '02, "Mystic River" '03, "Million Dollar Baby" '04, "Flags of Our Fathers" '06, "Letters from Iwo Jima" '06, "Changeling" '08, "Gran Torino" '08, "Invictus" '09, "Hereafter" '10) and many more. This man just improves with age. How many people at the age of 81 can pack such a wallop as Eastwood does with his films? Not many, I will guarantee you. This was equally well written by Dustin Lance Black ("The Journey of Jared Price" 2000, "Pedro" '08, "Milk" '08, "What's Wrong with Virginia" '10). With not having a ton of experience under his belt, proves that this guy is truly a natural at writing.

This film will undoubtedly be nominated for several Academy Awards, i.e. Director, Writer, Actor, Picture. Speaking of acting, DiCaprio as Hoover was awe-inspiring. This man is such an under-rated actor. Of course, having the writer and director he had certainly doesn't hurt. Also the make-up of Hoover as old was brilliant and it could be nominated as well.

If you like fine acting, directing, writing, even photography by Eastwood's cinematographer, Tom Stern,afc/asc, you will revel over this. This has got to be one of the best biopics I have seen in a while, although "Moneyball" was superb as aforementioned. It had all the elements one would expect from a well-crafted American film.

Out of 4 stars: 4                       Rated: R                      137min.