This great drama stars Leonardo DiCaprio as John Edgar Hoover, the admired, revered and feared face of US law enforcement for almost fifty years and under eight American presidents. The movie highlights some situations from his fascinating career.

J. Edgar was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation in 1924. This preceded the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which Hoover was instrumental in founding in 1935. Hoover remained director of the FBI until his death in 1972. Hoover is acknowledged as building the FBI into an efficient and large crime fighting agency utilising modernisations for police technology such as starting a centralised fingerprint system and forensic laboratories. The FBI also tracked and caught spies. Hoover also directed the FBI investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The movie is a biopic with Hoover telling his story through the dictation of his memoirs. The film begins in 1919, showing him as a young workaholic. After being promoted, he hires Helen Gandy (Watts) as his secretary who becomes an ally and continues to assist him with processes and decisions until his death. Another person of Hoover’s inner circle was Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer, The Social Network) a key person at the bureau and a close friend. Judi Dench is fantastic as Hoover’s controlling mother whom he lived with until her death. Leonardo’s performance is excellent as he portrays Hoover through his career and life, from ages 24 to 77.