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J. Edgar, A Clint Eastwood Film

Written by Jonathan Jacobs

Leonardo DiCaprio seemed to have piqued too soon. Never before has an actor come back from five consecutive backbreaking movies to deliver such a stunning performance worthy of the ages. J. Edgar is the best movie of 2011. It has taken 11 months and seven days for a film of this quality to arrive on scene and it was worth the wait. J. Edgar will win at least five Oscar awards and it will blow audiences away.

DiCaprio has mastered the mannerisms of John Edgar Hoover. The makeup artists have allowed him to appear as similar to the real life FBI Chief as possible, both as a young upstart and as an elderly man. Hoover is portrayed as a brilliant mind having established the Bureau as a force backed by the government. He implemented finger printing, card cataloging, wire tapping, dendrochronology, and sundry other mechanisms for containing and imprisoning criminals. Hoover even employed the Card Catalog system for The Library of Congress. He transformed the Bureau from A. Mitchell Palmer's slapdash communist shadow hunters to a viable and professional national crime solving organization.

Director Clint Eastwood explores Hoover's unnatural relationship with his mother (played by Judi Dench). He lived at home until his mother died and subsequently developed a proclivity for cross dressing. The FBI Director realized he disliked women sexually and fell in love with the man whom he made his second in command and lifelong partner, Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer). Clyde intended to become a successful lawyer but Hoover derailed his ambition by securing a top ranking spot within the FBI on his behalf. Their relationship has its tempestuous moments but their mutual love and admiration is stunning. This is one homosexual relationship that is made to feel special and romantic in every way.

Hoover's entire career is covered in great detail. This is almost a given considering the picture lasts for over 2 hours and thirty minutes. It is the literal neverending story! Casual viewers and historians alike will appreciate witnessing these expert reenactments of Hoover's attempts to implement new crime detection technologies, his battles with Congress over the Bureau's expansion, the Chief's attempts to solve the Lindbergh missing baby riddle, the Bureau's struggle to terminate the lives of bank robbers, and his unfailing attempts at blackmailing eight United States presidents. These seedy activities maintained his position at the Bureau indefinitely. Hoover captured Eleanor Roosevelt in a compromising sexual and political scandal, JFK in a sexual escapade (in the basement of all places!), Nixon as a liar and a machinist, and the list goes on. Despite all of these intriguing details, perhaps the best part of the film is Eastwood's exploration character study of Hoover's private life as a closet homosexual and cross dresser.

At no point does Eastwood turn this into a rumpus and scandalous picture. His intent is to provide insight into the mysterious character of J. Edgar Hoover, but never to besmirch of scandalize the Bureau Chief's name. Hoover is portrayed as a man of great intellect, impeachable loyalty and great character (blackmailing notwithstanding). Commensurately, his flaws and suspiciousness and devious sexual inclinations are depicted with great accuracy and class. Eastwood's film is nothing if not artistic and tasteful.

Clint Eastwood will win the award for Best Director, Leonardo DiCaprio will earn Best Actor, the film itself will win Best Picture, the makeup artists will win for their category, and Armie Hammer will easily take home the dazzling Best Supporting Actor prize. The film could well win more than five Oscars but it will likely vex audiences due to its over-nomination. Let's offer credit where it is due, the entire cast is brilliant, including Judi Dench (as Annie Hoover), and Naomi Watts (as Hoover's secretary and confidant Helen Gandy). Above and beyond all of this, DiCaprio steals the show. This is his comeback movie of the decade, hell, possibly the century. The OLD Leo is back; the one whose movies we cannot wait to watch and will forgive for their scarcity. The makeup esthiologists do a picture perfect job of making DiCaprio not only look like J. Edgar, but also making the characters age decades with both style and dignity. This is not some ragtag collection of film artists, this is the A team that wins Oscar Awards routinely. High -praise for J. Edgar, the definitive film of 2011.