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  Manisha Lakhe

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Clint Eastwood has the knack of making all his movies a visceral delight that you step into this movie expecting nothing less, and he does not disappoint you in any way. J Edgar Hoover is, for the layman, not exactly a beloved figure in American history, and it must have been an uphill task to not only create an interest in the subject, but humanise a person known to have blackmailed most authorit …

Clint Eastwood has the knack of making all his movies a visceral delight that you step into this movie expecting nothing less, and he does not disappoint you in any way. J Edgar Hoover is, for the layman, not exactly a beloved figure in American history, and it must have been an uphill task to not only create an interest in the subject, but humanise a person known to have blackmailed most authority figures in American politics without any conscience.



I have, and I beg your pardon, always associated young Leonardo DiCaprio with the beach movie. I have grudgingly admired him in movies like Catch Me If You Can and Inception, and have envied the choice of his movies. After all Revolutionary Road too was a brilliant movie, and a great pick of a role. In J Edgar, I think he surpasses everything that he has done before, seamlessly passing from young eager to prove himself Acting Director of a fledgeling bureau of Investigation to the emotionless manipulative director of a Federal Bureau Of Investigation that created fear and suspicion among the public.



The film moves beautifully from the present to the past and you must see this film only to admire the wonderful editing and direction that is invisible yet so present.The period clothes and setting, down to the hand bag that Naomi Watts carries has been carefully constructed. I have always marveled at the attention to detail that period films in Hollywood show, and this film exceeds all expectations.The story is the life and works of J Edgar Hoover, head of the Federal Bureau Of Investigation. He was by far the most feared man. But this is where the director disappoints, and maybe this is why it did not receive the Golden Globe for the best film. Instead of concentrating on the notoriety of the work that he did, his autocratic sweeping manner of work, his underhand schemes, which could have created a hateful but memorable character. But Clint Eastwood falls into the trap of humanising the man a bit too much. And the constant harping upon his sexuality was a little uncomfortable to watch again and again. It sort of took away from the achievements of the man.



Judy Dench is as brilliant as ever. She plays Edgar's doting mother, who sounds like steel when she orders him to squash his sexuality in no uncertain terms. But I shall not say more except that if this were a Hindi melodrama, Manmohan Desai would have cast a Lalita Pawar and she would be shrieking at her son instead of calmly ordering him about.If you are a film buff and wish to see how amazing a good actor director team can be, then you must not miss out on the movie. If you do not have any inkling about American politics, then fuhgddaboud this movie because this film has not been created for the spoon fed.