MOVIE REVIEW - J. Edgar

Here come the big time movies for the end of the year. This week it's the Clint Eastwood directed J. Edgar.

J. Edgar stars Leonardo Dicaprio as the iconic 48 year Director of the FBI J. Edgar Hoover. It tells his personal and professional story over the entire term of his reign as the nations most powerful law enforcement officer. It is told in flashback form, that at times seems a bit disjointed, and choppy.

To say the the actual Hoover was a complicated man would be an understatement. In this piece, he is portrayed as a determined man, bent on crushing enemies of the United States both foreign and domestic. He is also portrayed as a man that may have had a difficult time identifying exactly who was the enemy. Was he paranoid? Was he mentally ill? Eastwood seems to give him his due as a capable man who successfully built the FBI from the ground up. But also as man on mission to grab as much power along the way was possible.

J. Edgar also targets his personal life. From his highly unusual relationship with his mother, to his sexual preference, and his absolute fear and lack of knowledge of how to communicate with women. Overall, it is an eye-opening view into the life of one of the most powerful men that has even been a position of power in United States history.

Decaprio is well cast in this most demanding role. As his performance has to take our character from the time he was about 20, till his death. Makeup and costuming are terrific, possibly Oscar worthy on both counts. This movie has the typical Eastwood feel. Light and well placed music, great camera angles, and somehow he always gets the very best out of all of his actors. That is what Eastwood does best.

Things that may hold this back from being super well received by the public is simple. It is a bit long, at two hours and twenty minutes. It is complicated at times, and you need to have at least some knowledge of history to really understand all that is transpiring. Also, for many there is a lack of action, and long periods of music free scenes. In short for some, there just may not be enough going on.

But this is well written, and well acted. And as is true with most Eastwood picks, he finds stories that you don't know, and tells ones that are worth telling. That is true here for the most part. But I'm not so sure that Hoovers story may not be better told in a Ken Burns documentary, rather than a dramatic movie. There is a lot of story here, and maybe not enough time to tell it perfectly. Also be warned, this is not a glorification of Hoover, but adapted from a story that attempts to tell the entire story of Hoover the man. Not just the law man.

J. Edgar. I think this will fall into the category of "critically acclaimed" and I'm fine with that. I think box office gold is not in the offing here. Not a bad movie, but not Eastwood's best.