Review of J.Edgar

J.Edgar is easily one of Leonardo DiCaprio's best film. Not because the films is amazing, but because it is the finest example of his acting to date. He has always been good at accents, and in this he has Hoover spot on. The biggest challenge for him is that he has to play Hoover both when he was a young man at the beginning of his rise, and when he is an old man near the end of his carrier and life.He manages to perfectly play the same character in two different ways to show him as an enthusiastic young worker and an old, experienced man with a tainted history.
The film itself has a solid story, and it shows well, shifted between the two time periods. It looks into the problems facing young men. These problems being fear of being revealed as a homosexual. The film really goes into his relationship with his mother and how she practically forced him away from that route and how that effected him in later life (his confusion and fear is apparent through out), along with his concern as to how people would react if they found out, and how it would effect his career.
Although the film explains the history involved in it fairly well, the main problem with it is that there's certain things mentioned within the film, that are only relevant if you have a knowledge of that period. So this film is more suited for the older generations because they might understand some of the underlying factors more easily. Another problem is that it isn't fast paced, or have enough dangerous scenes to keep younger audiences interested. It's more for people who are interested in the man itself, not just interested in a film based around a time when the war on crime was occurring.
So J.Edgar was never going to be a blockbuster, but it is without a doubt that DiCaprio deserves an Oscar for his portrayal of this this historical character and Clint Eastwood deserves  applause for his achievement as director. Even the supporting cast deserves recognition, Armie Hammer as Clyde Tolson, Hoover's best friend and work college, and Judi Dench as Hoover's controlling mother. There is a lot right about this film, but there is also a lot wrong with it, which is holding it back from being something great. The whole film is mearly a fine example of DiCaprio as a highly under-appreciated actor.
If I was going to rate the film purely on DiCaprio's performance, I would rate it 10/10, but by judging it as a whole, I give it 6.5/10.