J. Edgar (Rated R)
- Starring Leonard DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench
- Directed by Clint Eastwood
- Plot: Covering the career of one of the most notorious figures in law enforcement history, J. Edgar Hoover epitomized the idea of living a dual life.
Clint Eastwood has had an amazing career and has to have had one of the best third acts of any person in Hollywood. From his first cameo performance as a lab assistant in Return of the Creature to his performance as the angry and prejudiced Walt Kowalski in Gran Torino, few actors have created a more iconic persona than Eastwood (my personal favorite Clint Eastwood role? - it's a toss up between Josey Wales in The Outlaw Josey Wales and Gunnery Sargeant Thomas Highway in Heartbreak Ridge).
But Eastwood has also built up a formidable career as a director with more than thirty years in a forty year span. His initial effort in Play Misty for Me is one of my favorite movies from the 1970s. Along the way, he has garnered ten Oscar nominations and four wins – two for directing (Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby) and one for Best Picture (Million Dollar Baby). Eastwood is also one of only 39 recipients (at this writing) of the Irving J. Thalberg Memorial Award given out by the Academy to producers whose body of work is consistently exceptional.
I would like to say that J. Edgar adds to this long list of achievements, but it ends up being a bit of a misfire. Don't get me wrong, the film has some brilliant performances. DiCaprio, already nominated for a Golden Globe, should be a strong contender for a Best Actor Oscar for his take on the complex head of the FBI. Although he's been nominated three times, DiCaprio has not won an Oscar. This could be his year, if the fact that the movie itself has been something of a letdown doesn't hold him back. The performance is definitely worthy of it.
Armie Hammer proves that last year's breakout performance in The Social Network wasn't a fluke (although I've been a fan since his hilarious turn on CW's Reaper). Judi Dench (as Hoover's mother) and Naomi Watts (as his loyal assistant) both are very compelling, too.
The fault ultimately seems to lie with Eastwood and screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (who also is an Oscar winner for his screenplay for 2008's Milk). I think in trying to cover the entire span of Hoover's career, too many events are just given cursory attention. The movie lacks definition. I think it would have been a better film if it had focused on his secret personal life or maybe the Kennedy years. The movie, much of it told in flashback as Hoover reminisces to a writer, skips around and it makes it a weaker narrative.
Don't get me wrong. J. Edgar is a good movie. It's definitely worth seeing, but it's not a great movie, especially when you consider the team that brought this to the screen. It's still easily one of the better films of 2011. It probably won't make any “Best of” lists, but it's a decent movie about one of the more controversial figures of our time.
J. Edgar is no longer playing in the Ames market. If you would like to see it, the movie is still available in Des Moines. Check Fandango.com for theaters and showtimes.
Comments