Now to H, Edgar, in which Leonardo Di Caprio gives a subtle and persuasive performance as J Edgar Hoover, the man who was the face of law enforcement in America for almost 50 years, one who was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career and his life.
When Hoover died in 1972, there was an ugly struggle for his private files-which reportedly contained dirt on politicians, businessmen and judges.
He stayed in the job partly because he became a master of political blackmail.
He once told attorney general Robert Kennedy that he put wiretraps on a female spy from East Germany, only to discover that one of her lovers was the president himself. There is an acceptance that Hoover ran the FBI extremely well, and the public viewed him as an embodiment of American virtue; a God fearing man who kept the country safe.
In the wake of the Great Depression, America was hit by bank robberies and kidnappings, and Hoover’s solution was to hit high-profile culprits and bring them to justice.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, and with a running time of 136 minutes, this biopic also stars Naomi Watts, Arnie Hammer and Judi Dench.
