J. Edgar Review

I wonder when Leonardo DiCaprio picks up his films, whether he makes a conscious call to select only those which promise him good enough potential to be a classic. Now if that is really the case then it is a scary situation to be in because while an 'Inception' or a 'Shutter Island' could indeed do the trick, there is always a fear of 'law of averages' catching up, as is the case with 'J. Edgar'. The fact remains that each of these films has treaded a dark lane and though as an actor Leonardo isn't quite making things easy for himself, heightened audience expectation translates into added risks as well.

This is the reason why mid-way through 'J. Edgar' you realise that on the pretext of being a possible 'classic in the making', the film doesn't quite end up being as exciting and an engrossing affair that one would have wanted on screen, especially since it has none less than director Clint Eastwood at the helm of affairs. For a film that is supposed to be a biopic, 'J. Edgar' comes across as a rather shallow take on affairs which is saddening since the plot involved American politics, FBI and some secrets waiting to be unearthed - just the kind of ingredients that have made many a American thriller far huger successes.

Enacting the part of a law enforcer and the Head of F.B.I., Leonardo DiCaprio as Edgar is expectedly superb as the film traverses 50 years of his stint at the top. While this also means that prosthetics play a major role in bring out his characterisation (which was the case for Brad Pitt in 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' as well), one does feel that the kind of depth one was hunting to explore in this complex characterisation is sadly missing.

As is the case with a biopic, you do expect grey aspects of a character. That you witness in 'J. Edgar' as well where Eastwood makes sure that his central character isn't shown all white. So while as the Head of F.B.I. the basic necessity to wipe or control crime requires tougher measures, the implications of doing that are also brought on fore. However while one would have wanted the drama here to be the core of the affair, the personal life of Edgar is given far more prominence which seems to be rather way too stretched.

So what one gets to see is the relationship he shared with his long standing companion (Naomi Watts), his mother (Judi Dench) and of course his male partner and love (Armie Hammer). While an effort has been made to keep these affairs sensitive without making them seem melodramatic, as an audience you want Edgar's very philosophy and outlook around crime to be far more prominent that what eventually unfolds on screen.

Fine, so a biopic needs to cover all aspects of the character holding the centre stage but then the film's duration could well have been around three hours. Her with a little over two hours length, the idea was to perhaps keep everything crisp but then unfortunately the final outcome doesn't end up lending a wholesome feel.

Thankfully though, Edgar's obsession with maintaining 'secret files' of the ones at the highest echelon of American establishment is brought out well which does give the film it's much required zing. 'Sex, lies and videotapes' always promise the kind of spice that could break or make a government in any part of the world and Edgar too is shown to be quite cognizant of that. Hence his shrewd mindset at play here not just makes you look at his acts in awe but Leonardo's very charm as an actor also ends up camouflaging the hatred that one would have otherwise felt for the character he is portraying.

Now if only Leonardo could bring such charm in play much more often and decide to ease up a little in next couple of outings at least, it would be just the welcome change that audience would love to see from him.

Rating: **1/2