J. Edgar Hoover Movie Review

First off, contrary to popular opinion, I think that the movie was largely good as it did a fantastic job of portraying most of the things I read in the book.  Of significance to me was the way it very well demonstrated Hoover’s closeness to, and extreme love/affection for, his mum—who was very key to his success.  Like many other people though, I think the movie could have done without the scene where Hoover wore his mother’s clothes after her death. That was a bit too dramatic.

Additionally, as previous reviewers have stated, the movie would have been more enjoyable without the constant flashbacks. For me, the flashbacks distorted the plot to a point, and sought to make comprehension difficult for those who had not read the book.  I was also quite disappointed that there was a lack of significant emphasis on the way Hoover handled the Civil Rights Movement, and in particular, his frosty relationship with the legendary Martin Luther King Jnr. I believe more could have been told of that story.

On the whole, I think the content was solid: B+/A-