J. Edgar tells the story of the legendary FBI director in a fragmented, but thoughtful way. It bounces back and forth from his highly ambitious, youthful beginnings with the bureau to his twilight years, when he was regularly blackmailing political foes into submission with his secret files. It also addresses his alleged mommy issues (enhanced by the usual strong performance from Judi Dench), as well as the rumors of cross-dressing and homosexuality, but with a typically light Eastwood touch. I’m pretty sure Hoover wouldn’t see it this way, but the handling of these issues comes across as downright respectful.
Most striking is DiCaprio’s physical transformation. Kudos to the makeup artists, who seamlessly age him from his 20s to his 70s, making him barely recognizable at either age. I’ll be shocked if there’s no Oscar nomination, if not win, in that department. But his performance is impressive, as well. Historical accounts have portrayed Hoover as a pretty darn unlikable guy, but DiCaprio manages to make him human. Instead of coming across as merely corrupt, we’re shown a complicated guy who genuinely can't distinguish between ego and patriotism. DiCaprio even masters and maintains that weird, early 20th century East Coast accent with its staccato delivery, a la James Cagney.
I wouldn’t exactly call J. Edgar a “great” movie, but it’s certainly a welcomed departure from your usual cookie cutter movies. It’s pretty interesting to see this rather cartoonish figure (in my estimation) in a totally different light, once he’s given some dimension and historical context.
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