In the final moments of Touch of Evil, Tanya (Marlene Dietrich) peers over Captain Hank Quinlan’s (Orson Welles) bloated corpse and utters, “What does it matter what you say about about people.”

J. Edgar Hoover was not exactly a corrupt cop, but his prodigious run with the FBI, starting in 1924 and ending with his 1972 death (from a heart attack), has been, for lack of a stronger word, controversial.

Was Hoover gay?  Was he a cross dresser?  What were in his secret files?  Was he a mama’s boy?  Though questions are addressed (but not fully answered) in director Clint Eastwood’s ambitious and non-linear biopic, J. Edgar’s main intent is to show us a man driven by power and control, a force of nature bent on keeping America safe by any means necessary.

In Eastwood and writer Dustin Lance Black’s eyes, Mr. Hoover’s drive resulted in an ability to truly love his FBI colleague and closest companion, Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer, who made a splash last year as the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network).  Being raised by controlling and suffocating mother Annie Hoover (Judi Dench) stunts Hoover’s social growth, but who really needs to be the life of the party when you’re the head of the FBI for almost fifty years?

Although it runs a lengthy 137 minutes (Eastwood’s rough cut clocked in at three hours), J. Edgar offers just a glimpse of a shadowy, justice obsessed figure who believes he’s the hero of his own story, as various agents over the years (one of them played by Gossip Girl actor Ed Westwick) type his memoirs.  We see Hoover take down gangsters (most notably John Dillinger), tirelessly work on the Lindbergh kidnapping (Josh Lucas stars as Charles Lindbergh), and go head to head with Attorney General Robert Kennedy (Jeffrey Donovan, who worked with Eastwood in The Changeling).   Naomi Watts co-stars as Hoover’s faithful secretary Helen Gandy the keeper (and eventual destroyer) of his secret files.

Leonardo DiCaprio, who’s received Oscar nods for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Aviator, and Blood Diamond, will receive another nomination for his inspired and stirring work as Hoover.  DiCaprio is never one to shy away from vulnerability, and he effectively captures a man in constant conflict.  Amidst the stunning set pieces, it’s Hoover’s close friendship with Gandy and his inextricable bond with Tolson that leaves a deep impression.  Future Hollywood leading man Armie Hammer delivers his finest performance to date as Tolson, and his chemistry with DiCaprio is palpable.

Clint Eastwood, the closest we’ll ever come to a modern day John Ford, crafts another intriguing, well told tale devoid of pretension.  Hoover is upper echelon Eastwood, ranking right up there with Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, A Perfect World, and Unforgiven.  It may not have all the answers that we’re looking for, but as Mr. Eastwood suggests, neither did Mr. Hoover.

Click on the media bar and listen to Eastwood talk about Hoover, Helen Gandy, and Dustin Lace Black’s screenplay: 

J. Edgar: Rated R.  137 Minutes.   A Warner Bros. Pictures presentation, produced by Imagine Entertainment and Malpaso.  Limited release starts today - wide release on November 11th.  Director of Photography: Tom Stern Editors:  Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach Composer: Clint Eastwood

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