For almost 40 years, J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) was director of the FBI, surviving eight presidents and three wars, using questionable methods to see to the safety of his country. Told through the eyes of the main characters, the movie follows Hoover from his youth during the 1919 Bolshevik Revolution through his rise in government and to his death as head of the FBI in 1972. Central to the story are his dependence on his dominating and homophobic mother (Judy Dench) and his relationship with his deputy (Armie Hammer) and his secretary (Naomi Watts).

Clint Eastwood once again proves why he is one of Hollywood's leading directors. J. Edgar is a sensitive character study of a man who introduced much of the legal reforms still in effect in the US, but personally was a power-hungry egotist who constantly abused his position. The biopic resists the temptation of making Hoover a mere bad guy or spending too much time on his reported love for women's clothing, and it also doesn't answer the question of whether Hoover and his deputy were more than just colleagues.