The Gist: J. Edgar Hoover created the FBI and led it for almost 50 years. During his powerful tenure, Presidents and their administrations came and went, but he always survived. He was a loner with a very strict moral code that shackled him and prevented him from living a full life outside of his office.
The subject is very interesting, the cast impressive, the director (usually) has the magic touch, and yet the movie never really soars. Leonardo DiCaprio is very good in the role, but the makeup and prosthetics he and the other cast members have to wear to credibly present characters through so many years of their lives are a let down. I actually found them so poorly executed that they turned into a distraction.
Another, even bigger problem I had with the movie was the editing, which was very confusing and jagged. Sometimes it wasn’t even clear which era we were currently in, which forced me to rewind a lot, something one wouldn’t be able to do in the theater, so I have to assume it would have frustrated me even more had I seen it in one.
The Bottom Line: While I can appreciate the incredible technical effort that went into crafting this film, and while I can’t deny the great talent of all those involved, the final product is in the end unsatisfactory. It gets a passing grade mostly because it doesn’t deserve a failing one, but it’s of little consequence.
Grade: 6
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