Official Synopsis
During his lifetime, J. Edgar Hoover would rise to be the most powerful man in America. As head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for nearly 50 years, he would stop at nothing to protect his country. Through eight presidents and three wars, Hoover waged battle against threats both real and perceived, often bending the rules to keep his countrymen safe. His methods were at once ruthless and heroic, with the admiration of the world his most coveted, if ever elusive, prize.
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Hoover was a man who placed great value on secrets—particularly those of others—and was not afraid to use that information to exert authority over the leading figures in the nation. Understanding that knowledge is power and fear poses opportunity, he used both to gain unprecedented influence and to build a reputation that was both formidable and untouchable.
He was as guarded in his private life as he was in his public one, allowing only a small and protective inner circle into his confidence. His closest colleague, Clyde Tolson, was also his constant companion. His secretary, Helen Gandy, who was perhaps most privy to Hoover’s designs, remained loyal to the end… and beyond. Only Hoover’s mother, who served as his inspiration and his conscience, would leave him, her passing truly crushing to the son who forever sought her love and approval.
I love Clint Eastwood films; when he was an actor and now that he is a director. I think he takes very intriguing stories, researches the hell out of them and does his best to put together the facts in front of him. Invictus was amazing and an inspiring story of Nelson Mandela’s trials and tribulations. Eastwood’s work on Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima brought a new point of view to a war that seemed like it was merely good versus evil. The man dives into each story and emerges with an enormous amount of information that the viewer normally would not have known.
So, he usually knows his stuff.
With that said, I think that he had some issues with J. Edgar. The problem with telling a story about one of the most well known men in the U.S. government, who led an extremely private (if not paranoid) life is trying to pry the facts out of people and properly piecing together a truthful and coherent story. J. Edgar’s structure seems to want to jump from present to past, and continually make this leap. The problem is that we’re getting small glimpses of his past. Things that are well known, but also minor details that seemed rushed or rather empty in detail. For example, we see J. Edgar as a young man in the Bureau, but we aren’t informed on how he got there or where he came from. It’s just BAM! He’s in the Bureau. And from that point on, the film decides to sort of rush into major moments of his career and private life without properly bridging them. I know Clint Eastwood is relentless when it comes to details and fact gathering, that’s why I’m more inclined to blame fact availability on this one. To be quite frank, it was a tough person to make a film about. There are probably so many details that Eastwood and his writers didn’t have access to during pre-production. Because of this, Eastwood is forced to depend on the actors to make up the difference for the lack of coherent plot point bridges.
Before we get into the acting, the major moments of Edgar’s life were portrayed pretty well. For example, his notorious homosexual lifestyle seems a lot more reserved in the film. You can see his attraction to his assistant Mr. Tolson, but it never quite blooms into an actual love affair. It’s implied through the film, and we only see one moment of contact between the lovers, and that’s just fine. It keeps in line with what Eastwood found out about Edgar’s life. He was a powerful, reserved man, who was just a tad bit paranoid. Since homosexuality was a taboo topic in that time period, especially for men with power, it was treated and portrayed well. In other words, it fit in nicely with the world that Eastwood built for J. Edgar Hoover.
Speaking of J. Edgar, I loved that DiCaprio took on this role. It was a bold move for him, one that certainly took his acting career in a different direction. He was passionate, steady and focused as J. Edgar Hoover. He played a fiery young version of the man and definitely changed gears beautifully when switched to Edgar’s older persona. He still has a firm personality connection between the young and old Hoover, which is a credit to his acting ability. You will believe that he is J. Edgar Hoover, which is necessary for this movie to be remotely good.
Just as good in the film is Armie Hammer’s Clyde Tolson. He really played a great assistant and believable lover. His demeanor and his suave personality complimented DiCaprio’s Hoover. I wish they had a bit more interaction in the film, which would have strengthened the ending of the movie. Like I mentioned previously, it’s very possible the facts weren’t available and Eastwood did his best. Still, I would have loved to see them build a more powerful relationship.
At the end of J. Edgar I just wished there was a bit more cohesiveness between the plot points. I fully give the benefit of doubt to Eastwood when it came to information he and his writers were able to put together for the story. What you get is some very powerful moments that just need a bit more connection. One thing you will leave knowing was just what type of man J. Edgar Hoover truly was and what he did to make sure the Federal Bureau of Investigation would lead in crime investigation for decades. His inventions and additions to crime prevention and investigation were stunning.
If you’re interested in knowing more about the man, without knowing everything, then this movie might fit your needs perfectly.
As for the Blu-ray, it was visually amazing. The movie has some very dark toned coloring throughout, which actually opens up plenty of opportunities for ugly graininess and artifacts in the picture. Thankfully, it was crisp and clear to the eye. I couldn’t find much to complain about, as this contained no color banding or problems visually in HD. Warner Home Video did another bang-up job on this title and they should be happy with the end result. The audio, which is done well, comes to you in 5.1 DTS-HD and the screen ratio is 2:4:1.
As for features, here’s what you’re getting:
– J. Edgar: The Most Powerful Man in the World
You may only get one true feature with this combo pack, but it’s a damn good one. You get some great details on Hoover, including his personality and practices. This lone feature compliments the film perfectly. I wish there was at least commentary in this, as Eastwood would have been fun to listen to explaining how the movie was made. Still, take what you can get, not bad overall.