Leonardo DiCaprio returns to the big screen in yet another role that is getting him closer to Hollywood sanctity. It was apparent that he never shies away from a challenge when he played Howard Hughes in “The Aviator”, and Frank Abagnale Jr. in “Catch Me if you Can.” This time he takes on another challenge as he plays the iconic former director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover.
The movie centers around Hoover’s life from the time right before he was appointed as head of the FBI in his twenties, through his death as the long-time leader of what became one of the most feared departments in all of government.
Sometimes hidden beneath the obvious layers of makeup and latex, DiCaprio still manages to portray the man he is playing as one that presidents and many other people feared.
The supporting cast and main characters in the film are Hoover’s autocratic and high-class mother Mrs. Anne Hoover (Judi Dench), Hoover’s secretary Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts), and FBI Associate Director Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer).
The film touches on the events that happened during the time that Hoover was the director of the FBI and how his personality helped shape the way in which the agency conducted its business. Details are shown as to how it was Hoover’s influence that helped inspire the creation of forensic files which are now in use in departments all over the country.
The overall setting and screenplay were of exceptional quality, which is no surprise whenever a film is directed by Clint Eastwood.
Grade: A