Linkshoch Wonderful Movie

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

adrian-43767 I have to say that J. EDGAR surpassed my expectations. Direction is assured and, despite the jagged narrative, with flashbacks and flashforwards. it generally flows. Photography is competent, screenplay likewise, and dialogue held my interest throughout, even if the central character is repellent as a human being (at times he did not seem to be one, although he had the capacity to love utterly his mother, his male lover, and his secretary). I would have liked to see more in connection to his role in the HUAC case and Hollywood, even if Senator McCarthy was the driver there, I believe Hoover also had some influence. Ultimately, the film is anchored by two superlative performances from di Caprio and Naomi Watts.

sandrapalzer The drama biopic about the life of J. Edgar Hoover, the founder and longstanding head of the FBI, was released in November 2011 in the United States, directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, written by Dustin Lance Black, and edited by Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach. It stars Naomi Watts as loyal Helen Gandy, Arnie Hammer as longtime companion Clyde Tolson and in the lead Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar Hoover. It depicts one of the most powerful men of modern times in an unusually intimate way, showing that the man who seemed to have known everyone's secrets spend a lot of his time struggling with his own. As the title of the movie already indicates, the audience is invited to look at the vulnerable character rather than the man of power. Disregarding the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio manages to depict a man with many facets, creating someone who has always tried to hide his true personality, but never entirely succeeded in doing so, especially not in front of the people close to him, cinematographer Tom Stern has managed to create an atmosphere that invites the spectator to travel back in time. The combination of high contrast and low colour intensity is extremely effective and additionally supports the ageing process of the characters as they travel through time, drawing wrinkles on their faces to support the makeup artists' work, although especially Arnie Hammer doesn't seem to be transformed with the same love for detail as DiCaprio. Pans and tilts invigorate the camera work and give the viewer the impression to be in the scene, discovering one detail after the other, as if one is entering a world one is not supposed to see, which supports the feeling of secrecy that is significant for the whole film and Hoover's personality. The music, which is also composed by Clint Eastwood, is neither spiritless nor intrusive; it serves to underline important flashbacks and ensure smooth transitions, as the reoccurring voice-overs of DiCaprio do. All in all, J Edgar is a film worth watching; although it can never be said how close to truth Clint Eastwood has managed to come, he has definitely accomplished creating a sensitive picture of a man who, in the end, struggled with the same issues as everyone of us does: family, love, and at a certain point the fear of letting go.

Amy Edwards Creating a biopic about one of the most powerful man of the 20th century, who built and made what the FBI is nowadays is something of a challenge.But Clint Eastwood is a director whose talent is not to be proved anymore. His movies are always masterpieces and always brings a lot of emotions. J.Edgar is not an exception even if this movie is less known and much underrated than his others pictures.To impersonate a charismatic and powerful character such as Hoover, you need someone who has to be as charismatic and smart as him. Leonardo Di Caprio is the perfect choice. Since Titanic, he has impressed me in each new movie he starred in. In each movie I can see how easily he can get into the skin of the character he is suppose to play. Seeing him as Edgar Hoover is mesmerizing. He is always in the just tone and attitude. Charismatic and powerful when he should be. More vulnerable when he has to. I loved his scenes with Dame Judi Dench who stars as Hoover's mother. We can feel how powerful the relationship between Hoover and his mother was. He impressed everyone he encountered but he was impressed and influenced by his mother. And Leo and Mrs Dench is playing it as perfection.The fact that Clint Eastwood used flashbacks to tell the most important events of Hoover's career at the head of the FBI is well thought and shot but sometimes I felt lost between them. Maybe another approach like a continued story would have been preferable. But besides that, the movie is admirably shot and the recreation of the 1910s and 1930s environment is really well done.It would be also unfair to not notice the beautiful performance of Armie Hammer and Naomi Watts respectively as Clyde Tolson and Helen Gandy. The romantic scenes between Hammer and Di Caprio are really emotional. Seeing those two men loving each other can make some feeling uncomfortable but the relationship between them was not a secret. Naomi Watts was graceful as Miss Gandy and I could feel that she was secretly in love with Edgar Hoover even if they both decided to keep professional. Naomi Watts is also a talented actress and she proved it again in this performance.In conclusion, I'm giving a 8 out of 10. Despite his slow pace, this is still a very beautiful film to enjoy. And if you are a big fan of Leo and Clint then it's definitely worth the view.

FilmBuff1994 J. Edgar is a good movie with a well developed storyline and a terrific cast. It's a very impressive biography film that informs us on the life of J. Edgar Hoover, who was head of the FBI for almost fifty years, it certainly does a great job of conveying the dedication, as well as struggles, that this man had. It still has many flaws however, probably a lot more than you would expect from a film directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, but the narrative of the film is very confusing, it jumps around to different parts of Hoover's life and this can get very puzzling at times, also I don't think anyone other than DiCaprio was given enough time to shine, a powerful performance is also related to the many actors who support you, but I never felt like anyone else was given a proper opportunity to do so. The best scenes are certainly those with the older Hoover, DiCaprio's performance is the most powerful here as he is almost completely unrecognizable in stunning make up and a powerful voice. It has its downfalls, but J. Edgar is still a very interesting and enjoyable film that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good drama or biography. An exploration of the public and private persons of J. Edgar Hoover, the controversial head of the FBI. Best Performance: Leonardo DiCaprio Worst Performance: Judi Dench