J. Edgar

Product Details

Synopsis: As head of the FBI through eight presidents and three wars, Hoover waged battle against threats both real and perceived, often bending the rules to keep his countrymen safe.
Starring: Leonardo Dicaprio, Naomi Watts
Supporting actors: Armie Hammer, Josh Lucas, Judi Dench
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Runtime: 2 hours 17 minutes
Release year: 2011
Studio: Warner Bros.
ASIN: B007BLCGNU (Rental) and B006UIYXL8 (Purchase)
Rights ; Requirements
Rental rights: 48 hour viewing period Details
Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details
Compatible with: Mac and Windows PC online viewing, compatible instant streaming devices, TiVo DVRs. System requirements
Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)
Theatrical Release Information
US Theatrical Release Date: November 09, 2011

Price : $18.49

Item Description

As head of the FBI by way of eight presidents and 3 wars, Hoover waged battle against threats both real and perceived, generally bending the rules to maintain his countrymen protected.

Starring: Leonardo Dicaprio, Naomi Watts
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Runtime: 2 hours 17 minutes
Release year: 2011
Studio: Warner Bros.

Technical Details

US Theatrical Release Date: November 09, 2011

Customer Critiques

A scene at a clothing shop in which John Edgar Hoover is told he has bad credit finds him telling them that they are incorrect, they should be speaking of an additional John Hoover. They ask if he is indeed John Hoover and he says yes but adds that he signs his name distinct techniques, not ordinarily just plainly as John Hoover but with his middle name or E initial included (his mother did normally call him Edgar). The shop owner then tells Hoover to open up a new account and sign it with a single name and to go by that name. John takes the application form and writes J. Edgar Hoover.
To me this scene is symbollic of the larger film. J. Edgar Hoover is a film about a man who, like a large number of of us, had a large number of sides and elements that composed who he was. He was greatly conflicted about which side he need to portray publicly and stumbled rather awkwardly in his younger years, illustrated wonderfully in the film, until finally deciding that J. Edgar Hoover was who he was going to be. That was the side he was going to reside publicly and the individual he was going to be, suitable or incorrect, with full conviction. The rest of the film shows us the consequent problems, struggles and complications that follow from this option.
I was concerned that this film would not reside up to my expectations, other people have been rating it rather ordinary and others negatively, couple of appear really excited about it immediately after getting viewed it. In a way I can see where they are coming from. It is a long film with dark moody colors, practically as if Eastwood wanted it to be black and white, and a lot of dialogue that moves fairly rapid with out substantially regard for helping the audience along or spelling items out. All that aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this film and even though it did not blow my mind or leave me with any terrific revelations about my own life it was a good movie expertise and had me thinking and entertained the complete time I was watching it.
I am not positive exactly where all the extra unfavorable or critical reviews are coming from, possibly people today have high standards from Eastwood and expected a thing groundbreaking, perhaps they just expected some thing completely different, but soon after all the negative or ho-hum opinions I had heard about this film I was pleasantly surprised and recommend it for fans of drama or biopics. I specifically advocate it for those like myself who have been waiting for a more compelling film this movie-going season.
Perhaps I enjoyed it far more since I have seen a truly terrible line of recent films in cinemas, Jack and Jill becoming the newest prior to seeing this (that movie was awful, so awful. I thought it would be negative but in an more than the top funny way, it was just poor). So maybe my enjoyment was raised in the course of this film considering that other recent films have left me underwhelmed and bored or wanting my cash back. I haven't observed an excellently crafted film in theaters considering that The Assist and have not even believed 1 merited repeat viewings given that the surprise that was 50/50. This film did not knock me out but I will absolutely watch it once again and will most likely even invest in it on Blu-ray for the reason that I want it to be part of my collection and assume it will grow to be much more engaging upon future viewings.
People today are complaining about the old age make up, it by no means bothered me as soon as in spite of other reviewer comments producing me far more vital than usual. Consumers say there are several impersonations of presidents and such that are distracting, the only 1 that felt as significantly to me was Richard Nixon's short look towards the finish for the reason that it was so over the leading. People today say it drags, but I was in no way wanting for it to hurry or speed along, I was always compelled with what was on screen. There are complaints that the broken narrative is confusing and jumps as well significantly, it really is relatively straightforward with only two timelines occuring. Hoover in his old age is dictating his past for a manuscript and each these timelines are otherwise chronological and move forward with a single a different. Persons say there is no real message or overriding theme to speak of, I believe deeper digging and repeat viewings will get them alot more nicely constructed than other people are giving credit right now. Most of all even though, even if some come across merit to these criticisms I don't uncover that any of them would keep the film from getting enjoyable as a complete.
This film may possibly be receiving much less positive reviews for the reason that individuals believed it could have been so a lot of things that it is not. In the end I feel Eastwood and the writer picked a direction and identity for the film and considerably like J. Edgar they decided to move forward with full conviction. It is what it is and any negatives don't outweigh all the positives it brings in my opinion, but absolutely everyone will judge the film differently I suppose, much like everyone has several opinions on J. Edgar Hoover the man.
It may very well also aid me that I'm pretty interested in history and this time period. Also in how institutions such as the FBI got built up and came to be (the film does an terrific job at explaining how the bureau slowly found techniques to acquire power and independence). Anyways, give this film a likelihood, I give it 5 stars because I could not have LOVED the film but I did adore the expertise of watching it, if that tends to make sense.

I will be short on this film given that it likely is 1 of the best by Clint Eastwood.
1st the actors. They have to cover a complete life and it begins in their early twenties and ends in their late seventies with diseases and death. It is not only a question of special makeup effects but it is a question of deportment, behaviour, rhythm, flexibility, credibility at any age in their facial expressions and their language. It takes time, a lot of coaching and fantastic talent to do that. If it had been very easy they would all do it. Incredibly couple of in fact can.
Second the institutional subject. The creation of the FBI. Its transformation from a semi-clandestine agency to a scientific, well trained and particularly successful and diligent institution. The film is clear how challenging it was to get laws passed and finances granted by Congress. Some of the arguments were opportunistic and some were logical, but they all had only one particular aim: to get what it needs to turn into the greatest. J. Edgar Hoover was in a way irritating in his way to serialize the action of the FBI for the nascent mass-media that the radio and the cinema had been becoming. He was extremely disturbing in his umbilical ego-centeredness or ego-centricity. But that was him and the actor is able to render this cold, calculated and very tense character who had a problem with public elocution and had managed to overcome it with an quite strict discipline.
That leads to his action and his vision of the FBI. He was incredibly authoritative and manipulative. He in no way took no for an answer and for him one no was normally a disguised and hidden yes. He accumulated info on all the folks he could 1 day rely on, politicians, congressmen and justices or judges, to blackmail them if crucial. He typically had his way and 1 of his important failures was with Martin Luther King that he could not blackmail into refusing the Nobel Peace Prize. The film is at instances on the particularly verge of being embarrassing, though it only speaks of dead figures for the reason that it is dealing with rumors on Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Richard Nixon and a few other individuals. I am not even positive some of the details is not frankly false.
But Clint Eastwood is a patriot and he shows the patriotic side of the character with insistence and weight, to the point of reaching bigotry at instances, for example on the topic of racism. He built the FBI in the fight against the anarchist and communist movement in the 20s and 30s, against the gangsters of the 20s and Prohibition, against the Germans in the 30s as well, without having specifying the political innuendo of the national reference in 1934 amongst Americans questioned by the FBI about an individual who had a German accent. No nuance. Clint Eastwood provides his matter raw and uncooked at all.
But Clint Eastwood reaches beyond these elements to capture the real private and intimate dimension of his character. And here he is not using innuendo and allusions. J. Edgar Hoover's relation with his direct deputy is noticed as a sentimental relation on the side of the deputy and an emotional relation on the side of J. Edgar Hoover himself. The tremendous condemnation of any gay orientation by his mother creates in him a tremendous struggle due to his attachment to his mother. The truth will come at the pretty finish with a friendly even paternal kiss to his deputy on the night prior to dying. He will clarify how he recruited him given that he needed somebody and he knew that young man needed a powerful paternal figure that he accepted to be.
Of course the revelation of the love of that young man for his boss is dramatized by Clint Eastwood, and possibly even also a lot considering that that was the intimate and private life of two men who did not reveal something in public, far from it. But it is carried out with such delicacy, tenderness. J. Edgar Hoover appears in the film as having compensated the absence of a father figure and the presence of a strong authoritarian mother figure on his side, by playing that father figure with his direct deputy who required such a father figure. The compensated lack of J. Edgar Hoover became the satisfaction of the need to have of his deputy. So significantly alike and yet so unique.
That personal touch in this film makes the film a lot additional fascinating for the reason that it speaks of anything that can occur to anyone: like is the only issue that survives in life and is stronger than even hatred as J. Edgar Hoover explains as he is climbing the stairs to his bedroom for the extremely last time in his life.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU