'J. Edgar' a restrained look at feared FBI chief
What we learn in Clint Eastwood's low-key, biographical drama about one of the scariest, most enigmatic shapers of America's 20th century is that J. Edgar Hoover, the fearsome head of the FBI, was a great dresser.
And a magnificent fraud.
He took credit for solving major crimes and capturing high-profile criminals, although his men (Hoover didn't allow women to be FBI agents) did the real work.
Hoover purported to be a paragon of moral and political virtue.
Yet, as he banned gays from the ranks of the G-men, he himself was a confirmed bachelor who lavished his affections upon his right-hand man, deputy Clyde Tolson, who inherited Hoover's estate upon his death, and is buried not far from Hoover's grave.
Eastwood's "J. Edgar" portrays Hoover as a brilliant technocrat bursting with ego and hypocrisy, an ambitious brain with a talent for both organization and collecting information - a man with a vision to protect his nation from radicals and the drive to turn that vision into reality.
Dustin Lance Black's screenplay uses flashbacks to tell this drama from the point of view of an aging Hoover as he relays his life story to a succession of FBI typists preparing an untitled book.
Admittedly, it takes a while for us to get used to Leonardo DiCaprio's gruff voice coming out of a pile of old-age makeup.
In time, DiCaprio's consistent, sympathetic portrayal of Hoover (as both an old and young man) clicks, and Eastwood's movie slowly finds its footing, although it's told with such restraint and dispassion that it begins to resemble a book report version of Hoover's life.
Young Hoover is presented as the ultimate cross-dressing momma's boy, next perhaps, to Norman Bates.
John Hoover can't wait to come home from work to tell his mother (Judi Dench) of his exploits working in Washington. Mom makes it very clear that she expects her son to dance with women. She reminds her son, apparently because she suspects the truth, that she would rather have a "dead son than a daffodil for a son."
This Puritanical declaration explains why Hoover never allows himself to succumb to the charm of FBI agent Tolson (a charismatic Armie Hammer, who played the twins in "The Social Network"), even in a slightly creepy and sad "Brokeback Mountain" moment of violent, intended seduction.
As well-constructed as "J. Edgar" is (with Eastwood's moody score and Tom Stern's impressive, color-bled cinematography suggesting an old newsreel), the drama sticks to the surface, seldom digging deep enough to uncover the real G-man buried beneath the self-proscribed image or assessing his character.
"J. Edgar" serves up a little history of the FBI and whisks us through some of its most famous cases (the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, the capture or killing of public enemies), but drops other key events like hot potatoes.
Hoover's non-subtle attempt to blackmail President Kennedy through his attorney general brother begs for greater examination.
Hoover's boldly racist ploy to force Martin Luther King to turn down the Nobel Peace Prize feels tacked-on, as if Eastwood felt obligated to include it, but didn't want to.
Naomi Watts' character, Helen Gandy, also gets sidelined. She's a young woman who wisely turns down Hoover's marriage offer on their third date, but then becomes his trusted secretary for decades.
"It's time this generation learned the difference between villain and hero," Hoover says.
Which one is Hoover?
In true FBI fashion, "J. Edgar" isn't telling.
“J. Edgar”
★ ★ ★
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Other: A Warner Bros. release. Opens at the River East 21 in Chicago. Opens wide Nov. 11. Rated R for language. 136 minutes.