Clint Eastwood
J. Edgar

After "Bird" (1988) and "Invictus" (2009), Clint Eastwood returns to direct a biopic, this time about the controversial figure of John Edgar Hoover, the undisputed head of the FBI from 1924 to 1972. A well-known person of the time, a true institution, probably more than his FBI. A staunch conservative, opposed to any form of "communism," radicalism, and revolutionary or otherwise anti-patriotic ideologies. A staunch enforcer of order, an tireless worker and dissolute on whom various rumors have developed over the years: it was believed that he had politicians spied on, that the FBI's activities aimed at destroying African American movements. In short, a well-rounded character, who, revived by the now over 80-year-old Eastwood, has returned to make people talk about him.

The figure of Edgar was played by Leonardo Di Caprio, who since 2002, starting with "Gangs of New York," has begun an improvement to say the least remarkable, which in a few years has led him to be the protagonist of important productions including "The Aviator," "The Departed," "Revolutionary Road," "Shutter Island," and this "J. Edgar," played almost entirely through Di Caprio's own work. He performs a colossal acting task, having to portray Edgar across the nearly 50 years that are recounted, navigating between youthful bravado, the peak of power, and finally old age. Eastwood plays a lot on this because he does not tell the story in its precise chronological development but continually moves back and forth along the life of the FBI chief, enlivening (so to speak) what otherwise would have been an even more "slow" film than it was conceived to be.

Slowness is the main flaw of Eastwood's film: a problem that often occurs when recounting the history of a real-life character. The "action" scenes are cut to the bone; "J. Edgar" turns out to be a film of actors, grappling with long dialogues. Above all stands Leonardo Di Caprio, with an Oscar-worthy performance, well supported by his right-hand man Clyde, played by an equally surprising Armie Hammer. Eastwood lends his impersonality, staying outside, with a direction purely in his style: classic, never intrusive, merely being the eye and observer of the studies and offices that make up the film’s locations.

So despite an underlining immobility that makes "J. Edgar" at times extremely heavy, nothing can be said about the final product: Clint Eastwood and Leonardo Di Caprio managed to meticulously sketch a character of certain depth, enhancing the more utilitarian side in the first part, to move into the private sphere in the second half of the feature film. In a crescendo of emotions and expressiveness, the film will lead to an anticipated yet reconciling finale, showing the complex but deeply united relationship between Edgar and Clyde.

It is undoubtedly true that Clint Eastwood, in his long career as a director, has done better, but this does not affect the qualitatively high value of his latest effort. Eastwood embarked on a journey through ideologies that have influenced the course of the last century in America, just as in the past he tackled the gigantic personality of a man like Nelson Mandela. "J. Edgar" is a difficult film due to its thematic strength, but precisely for this reason, it proves to be even more solid and closely connected to its author.