Movie Information
Overall Rank: 5950
Average Rating: 2.6/4
# of Ratings: 71
Theatrical Release Date: 11/09/2011
Blu-ray/DVD Release Date: 02/21/2012
Language: English
Genre: Biography, Drama
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Clint Eastwood
Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas, Ed Westwick, Lea Thompson, Judi Dench
Plot: J. Edgar Hoover was one of the most prominent faces of law enforcement for 50 years in the United States. He held power most men can only dream of and secrets that could have destroyed him. -- Chris Kavan
Quick Movie Reviews
Rating of
2/4
Matthew Brady - wrote on 07/12/2014
The story about J. Edgar Hoover who was one of the most prominent faces of law enforcement for 50 years in the United States. This movie is directed by the great man himself (Clint Eastwood) and I thought this movie was going to be brilliant and I also thought this was going to be Leonardo DiCaprio best role yet, And I only got one thing right and that is Leonardo DiCaprio acting in this film but the rest is a bit of a let down. The make-up looks really fake and laughable in this movie and they are these flashbacks in the movie that comes out of nowhere and I at time didn't know it's a flashback. This could have been a great movie but the movie lacks on enjoyment and joy to it, and it just left me bored.
Rating of
2/4
Brain Surgery - wrote on 02/05/2012
I was really looking forward to this movie because I had heard so many good reviews about it, but I was kind of dissepointed. It didn't have many highlights and I almost fell asleep when I was watching it.
Rating of
2.5/4
Alex - wrote on 11/19/2011
A slightly above average movie. Eastwod shows some good style and the music is also above average. DiCaprio performs his best, The movie just isn't good. Too slow at times and a bit choppy. Leave these movies up to Scorsese or even Spielberg. I learned a lot though.
Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
2.5/4
"J. Edgar" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 05/10/2016
J. Edgar charts the life of the creator and head of the F.B.I. from his Bolshevik-hating youth through to his death during the Nixon years. I was interested to find out more about the almost mythic figure of J. Edgar Hoover but despite direction by the ever sure-footed Clint Eastwood, this biopic comes across as a rather muddled and uneven affair. He is no doubt a difficult personality to pin down; on the one hand he is shown as a dedicated perfectionist who virtually invented forensic investigation and was the scourge of organised crime, on the other a self-aggrandising bully whose paranoia and need for constant control caused him to abuse his powers to a quite shocking degree. It is an interesting story set through 50 years of American recent history and I did feel like I'd learned …
Rating of
3/4
J. Edgar review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 07/30/2012
J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) was presented in his youth and twilight years. He informs his mother (Judi Dench) that he becomes the Director for Bureau of Investigation while hiring Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts) as his personal secretary. Hoover then handpicks his division and hires Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer). DiCaprio's performance was spectacular and Dench always impresses. The beginning of how Hoover started was interesting, and then the pace dwindles after he made the personal arrests. Soundtrack was almost non-existent though the camera angles was still solid. It's plot and direction were somewhat confusing since it shifted back and forth too many times in the senior and humble beginnings of J. Edgar. Information about the person was detailed though not as though as it …
Rating of
2/4
Big disappointment
Jase - wrote on 01/19/2012
Dustin Lance Black and Clint Eastwood took what should have been a fascinating story and mangled it into a completely uninteresting movie. In short, it left out so much that should've been on screen and focused on the more boring details. And, while I'm not someone who needs a movie to be linear to enjoy it, J. Edgar is sort of ridiculous. It jumps around far too much and throws too many things at you. There's a voiceover to provide some clarity, but it does little to rectify the problem. Telling the story in a simpler way would've been a better decision, I think.
The lighting is also an issue. I understand the desire to create a dark atmosphere for such a paranoid, depressing character, but it was taken a bit far. You can barely see what's going on in some scenes because the …
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Recent Movie Talk Posts
Alex - wrote on 2011-09-20 22:57
I think that Gran Torino kind of sucked, but that is just my opinion. Here is my review. Gran Torino (2008)Clint, you can't sing, and your cast can't act!1.5/4 starsOne of the worst acted movies I saw from 2008. Clint Eastwood must have told his fellow cast member's to not act, to make him stand out more. Why were they so baaad at acting. Wow.
The plot is pretty standard, predictable and not really worth a damn. The only character I cared about was Clint Eastwood and the girl that really …
Chris Kavan - wrote on 2011-09-20 10:18
The only film I think Eastwood has stumbled on was Hereafter, otherwise he has an impressive body of work, and I think J. Edgar looks to be a top contender at the Oscars. It's still early, for sure, but considering how little Oscar buzz there is for films thus far, I think it's a pretty good bet.
LeeAnn M. - wrote on 2011-09-20 07:39
I agree completely. However, having Clint Eastwood behind the camera is no shoe-in for an Oscar. Grand Torino was largely overlooked. The film is not going to be paraded on the Oscar march, but instead premiere at the American Film Institute just six days before the US release date. I want this film to do well, and I believe it will at the box office. Hopefully the Oscar Powers-that-be will drop whatever disdain they have for Eastwood and judge the movie on the talent shown on the screen.
