Another Dramatized Biography
Being the history nut that I am, I usually become pretty excited anytime a period piece or historical fiction comes out in the theaters. I didn't even know Clint Eastwood directed this one until the credits rolled out, at which point I was a bit disappointed. The movie wasn't bad, but it certainly could have been a lot better.
Still, this movie proves that Leonardo DiCaprio really can do no wrong. He successfully wriggles into the character designed by the writers in this movie and pretty much nails his spot. This was also Armie Hammer's biggest gig since The Social Network a year earlier, and he didn't all that terribly either. The rest of the performances were forgettable, but Leo and Hammer (sounds like a law team, doesn't it?) had a solid on-screen dynamic that made the two-plus hour film bearable.
This movie feel short with the story. I'm still not sure whether it was Eastwood or writer Dustin Lance Black to blame for this one, but something crucial was missing to the film. I'll admit, it is difficult to make a film that is not predictable when it is already embedded in historical fact (and I use the word "fact" loosely). More detrimental was the fact that I believe too much attention was paid to J. Edgar Hoover's homosexuality. I wanted to see more concerning the FBI accentuated by his alleged homosexuality, not the other way around.
But hey, like I said, the movie wasn't awful, I just wouldn't go out of my way to see it again, and if you missed it, you aren't missing much. I certainly will never show it to students in my history classes, that's for sure.
Written June 15, 2013
Still, this movie proves that Leonardo DiCaprio really can do no wrong. He successfully wriggles into the character designed by the writers in this movie and pretty much nails his spot. This was also Armie Hammer's biggest gig since The Social Network a year earlier, and he didn't all that terribly either. The rest of the performances were forgettable, but Leo and Hammer (sounds like a law team, doesn't it?) had a solid on-screen dynamic that made the two-plus hour film bearable.
This movie feel short with the story. I'm still not sure whether it was Eastwood or writer Dustin Lance Black to blame for this one, but something crucial was missing to the film. I'll admit, it is difficult to make a film that is not predictable when it is already embedded in historical fact (and I use the word "fact" loosely). More detrimental was the fact that I believe too much attention was paid to J. Edgar Hoover's homosexuality. I wanted to see more concerning the FBI accentuated by his alleged homosexuality, not the other way around.
But hey, like I said, the movie wasn't awful, I just wouldn't go out of my way to see it again, and if you missed it, you aren't missing much. I certainly will never show it to students in my history classes, that's for sure.
Written June 15, 2013