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J. Edgar

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J. Edgar (2011)

November. 09,2011
|
6.5
|
R
| Drama History Crime
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As the face of law enforcement in the United States for almost 50 years, J. Edgar Hoover was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career, and his life.

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Reviews

Jeanskynebu
2011/11/09

the audience applauded

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Ariella Broughton
2011/11/10

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

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Tymon Sutton
2011/11/11

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

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Rosie Searle
2011/11/12

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

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Anthony Iessi
2011/11/13

Is J. Edgar the best cinematic tribute to the infamous creator and 1st director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover? Maybe yes, maybe no. But it's unclear how else you could have done other than Clint Eastwood's stoic interpretation. This is a by the books biopic, reminiscent of takes from old Hollywood. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Hoover, in what was obviously a gunning for the Academy Award, but falling way short. But in his performance, he encapsulates precisely the kind of man Hoover was. A self-aggrandizing, paranoid political animal about as concerned about his grasp of power as he was about his closeted feelings for other men. An angel he clearly wasn't. Lying to the press about his heroic accomplishments, to going so far as penning a virtual death threat to Martin Luther King Jr. Eastwood allows the audience to draw their own conclusions as to the lore of the FBI, and whether or not you can trust it from it's founding. But he does so with reverence to Hoover all the same, and how he created one of the most powerful judicial apparatuses our country has.

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denis888
2011/11/14

What happened? The whole movie could have been a winning formula - directed by Clnit Eastwood, starring powerhouses like Leonardo DiCaprio, Judi Dench among others, depicting life and work of such awesome man as J. Edgar Hoover was, this film should have been excellent. It didn't happen this way. There are several resaons for this flop: 1. Sheer length - 2 hours killed all the potential. 2. Dark light scheme made the film look rather sickly sepia 3.Weaker parts played by several actors, Armie Hammer particularly, made this film a very uneven unbalanced flick 4. Jumps, plot omissions, certain falsified guesses, obvious manipulations with facts added to a very blurred aray of disapponted meh In general, good idea badly spoilt

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baywood1955
2011/11/15

it is a great History lesson; and should be used as such....Hoover apparently went totally mad....and kept "dirty tricks" files on all prominent people in Washington....I have read two books that strongly implicated Hoover in the Murder of JFK.....a man he detested....as a Kid growing up in the fifties and 60's.....we always thought the FBI was the word of God.....Hoover; being gay; used tapes of OTHER Gays in Washington to blackmail people and too keep his job. Seeing a Movie like this; makes you Know our "heroes" are people just like the rest of us; many with serious faults; and even insanitys. Read Jim Marrs' Books about the JFK assassination....it will strongly bring forth the notion that Hoover would do anything; including murder; to keep his job....

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Amy Edwards
2011/11/16

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.

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