J. Edgar Hoover is one of the most complex and perplexing figures in US history. So, when a movie about his career at the FBI is made, there is simply no way to encapsulate all he was...and would be better off left to a mini-series. After all, he was head of the Bureau for 48 years and during some of most turbulent times in American history...so a film about two hours long seems quite inadequate...which it is.
On the positive side, the film didn't ignore his probable homosexuality. Sure, the film could have taken a firmer stance, but it at least talks about it and leads you to believe the man was either asexual or (more likely) gay. It showed his close relationship with Clyde Tolson...his defacto partner if not sexual partner. The film also does hit many of the main highlights of his career.
On the negative, I was shocked that the film took almost no attempt to get the time periods right...making the film often confusing. Seeing people in the 1940s and 50s dressed like folks from the 70s just took me out of many scenes and I kept thinking 'maybe the film is skipping way ahead' or 'is this looking back at a prior period?'. I didn't like this.
Overall, a good overall look at the man for someone who doesn't know much about Hoover or the times in which he lived. It's episodic and sort of like a Cliff Notes version of his life. Otherwise, buy a book or read on the internet about the man...there is far more to this dangerous man than the film can possibly cover.
On the positive side, the film didn't ignore his probable homosexuality. Sure, the film could have taken a firmer stance, but it at least talks about it and leads you to believe the man was either asexual or (more likely) gay. It showed his close relationship with Clyde Tolson...his defacto partner if not sexual partner. The film also does hit many of the main highlights of his career.
On the negative, I was shocked that the film took almost no attempt to get the time periods right...making the film often confusing. Seeing people in the 1940s and 50s dressed like folks from the 70s just took me out of many scenes and I kept thinking 'maybe the film is skipping way ahead' or 'is this looking back at a prior period?'. I didn't like this.
Overall, a good overall look at the man for someone who doesn't know much about Hoover or the times in which he lived. It's episodic and sort of like a Cliff Notes version of his life. Otherwise, buy a book or read on the internet about the man...there is far more to this dangerous man than the film can possibly cover.