J. Edgar

"The most powerful man in the world."

2011 2h 17m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🥫

44%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.5

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 2,648🥫44%Rotten Tomatoes●59Metacritic★6.5IMDB · 136,807

DramaCrimeHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

As the face of law enforcement in the United States for almost 50 years, J. Edgar Hoover 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.

“The most powerful man in the world.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio
John Edgar Hoover
Armie Hammer
Clyde Tolson
Naomi Watts
Helen Gandy
Josh Lucas
Charles Lindbergh
Josh Hamilton
Robert Irwin
Judi Dench
Anna Marie Hoover
Geoff Pierson
Mitchell Palmer
Gunner Wright
Dwight Eisenhower

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Clint Eastwood
Writers: Dustin Lance Black
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Clint Eastwood, shot by Tom Stern. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Clint Eastwood. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joel Cox shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer and Naomi Watts carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The most powerful man in the world.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1616195 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Clint Eastwood directs. Tom Stern behind the camera. Clint Eastwood scores. Joel Cox cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 15 years ago.
2Directed by Clint Eastwood, shot by Tom Stern. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Clint Eastwood. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Joel Cox shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer and Naomi Watts carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The most powerful man in the world.".
7IMDB entry: tt1616195 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Tom Stern
Original score: Clint Eastwood
Editing: Joel Cox
Production design: James J. Murakami
Costume design: Deborah Hopper
Makeup / hair: Duncan Jarman
Sound: Gregg Rudloff
Stunt coordinator: Buddy Van Horn
Runtime: 137 min · 2h 17m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $35,000,000
Box office: $84,606,030
Return: 242% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: J. Edgar (2011)
Rotten Tomatoes: 44% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 59/100
IMDB rating: 6.5/10 · 136,807 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

5 wins & 17 nominations total

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Clint Eastwood

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2022-02-12
★ 6/10
A bit of a bore, is <em>'J. Edgar'</em>. Leonardo DiCaprio puts in a very good performance as the titular character and his co-stars are all solid, but I just found the way that the story is told to be lacklustre. There aren't, at least for me, any memorable scenes and I wasn't invested in the plot at any point really. It's semi-watchable, but goes on for too long to be passably so. It does, as noted, have a neat cast list, with Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts and Judi Dench, among others, involved behind DiCaprio. I think they all give their best, with any issues I have with this 2011 release being away from them. Two duds in a row to start the 2010s from Mr. Eastwood; in my humble opinion, of course.
GenerationofSwine2023-01-14
★ 10/10
My only real complaint about Leonardo DiCaprio is that he looks like, well, Leonardo DiCaprio and that is a shame given that given that he doesn't play Lenardo DiCaprio, he plays whoever the script says he is and we all think he's the greatest thing since sliced bread because of that. Except in J. Edgar where, for the first real time, DiCaprio doesn't look like DiCaprio, he looks a lot like the cross-dressing fascist he's portraying. And being Leo, he acts like him too. THANK YOU. For once the studio didn't bank on his face and it paid out. So we not only get to see Leo acting the part, but for the first time we get to really see him looking the part too and the last time he did that was in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape." And on top of it all we have Clint Eastwood directing and, honestly, not a fan of him as an actor, love him as a director. Given his politics I walked in thinking Right Wing Love Story...I walked out with "honest depiction" and that helps a lot. Not only does that help, but the scandal around Hoover's sexuality was done appropriately, that is to say it didn't take center stage, J. Edgar did...and, as I said, you were watching J. Edgar and not Leo doing his best to be the man while having to still look like himself. it's just a win all around...except it could have benefited for time. Trim it down a bit. I know he's hugely important to history and Eastwood is a great director with a great cast but...it got a bit long in the tooth at places and that hurt the flow of the film.