Movie Review: "J Edgar"

J Edgar

Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench
Rated: R for brief strong language

Perhaps the most powerful and controversial figure of the past 100 years, one would expect a biopic on FBI founder J Edgar Hoover to live up to it's potential. Despite it's all-star cast and crew, the new Clint Eastwood film J Edgar is a simple disappointment. Writer Dustin Lance Black, who wrote the biopic Milk, once again wrote a boisterous piece that follows a man's life instead of the overarching story the propelled him to greatness; despite seeing the story unfold before us, we never really know what the story is about. (Also, he allows his protagonist to once again break into poetic narrations that doesn't match his character's dialogue the rest of the film.) Because of it, J Edgar doesn't feel very emotional or interesting because we never know where it's trying to go, and the two-hour plus run time feels like an eternity. Unlike Milk, Black's weak script isn't saved by the directing; Gus Van Sant gave Milk such a strong sense of style and creativity that is completely missing in Eastwood's biopic; this movie lacks nostalgia, feels very dark, bleak, and dreary, yet without reason. DiCaprio tries to elevate the script by delivering a solid performance, but it only serves as a reminder of how he excelled in truly great films like The Aviator, Revolutionary Road, and Blood Diamond. Naomi Watts and Judi Dench give solid performances as well, but the rest of the cast fall prey to Eastwood's inability to truly direct actors. Armie Hammer lacks subtlety and Jeffrey Donovan's Robert Kennedy seems like he is reading the lines straight from cue cards with a cruddy New England accent. Perhaps these nuances could have been solved had Eastwood and Black known exactly where J Edgar was going, but it seems that neither really understood the mysterious Hoover, causing them to this detached and amoral portrayal of his life, which leaves the audience very unemotional and confused. While subtlety can be an effective tool, a theme requires some interpretation of the message, yet J Edgar gives us neither interpretation or message. What are we supposed to think of the great investigator, initiator, self-assured, cross-dressing, timid bully who practically ruled America for over sixty years? It seems that, even with Eastwood and Black simply giving us the "facts" without interpretation, he seems more a mystery now then ever.