“J. Edgar,” much like the man it’s based upon, is shadowy, enigmatic and infinitely fascinating. The collaboration of Clint Eastwood and Leonardo DiCaprio led to the creation of a film that is truly a masterpiece in almost every way. Shifting between the personal and public lives of J. Edgar Hoover, Eastwood has created a unique portrait of an individual who was once regarded as one of the most powerful men in America.

Hoover was the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for nearly 50 years, during which he transformed the woefully underpowered agency into an efficient crime-fighting organization.

But the film shows us much more than just Hoover’s public life and career. We are given a view into a fairly sensationalized version of Hoover’s personal life, focusing primarily on his relationships with his long-time secretary and confidant Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts) and his closest companion Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer). One other relationship highlighted in the film is that between Hoover and his domineering mother, Annie Hoover (Judi Dench).

Hoover’s relationship with each of these people is defined very quickly through subtle cues, brilliant acting and perfect direction. Eastwood must be applauded for balancing Hoover’s very well documented public life and his somewhat murky private life, including the prevalent rumors of Hoover’s homosexuality. All of these aspects are explored through incredibly powerful scenes that showcase the true acting abilities of the cast.

While DiCaprio is the main character and does a truly masterful job, Armie Hammer’s portrayal of Tolson is a somewhat downplayed but undeniably powerful one.

Hammer is possibly best remembered for his dual role of the Vinkelvoss twins in “The Social Network,” and he surpassed himself in every way in this film.

From a young agent in the FBI to an old man suffering from the aftereffects of a stroke, Tolson’s character presents a plethora of challenges for an actor, and Hammer not only overcomes these challenges, but thrives, out-shining DiCaprio in many scenes.

Any great film needs an outstanding cast, a visionary director and an inspired writer. “J. Edgar” definitely has all three, with Dustin Lance Black as the author behind the script. Black’s most prevalent work before this was “Milk” in 2008.

Black, rather than trying to guess at what these people may have been like, has presented the film in a manner which allows for the accepted public image of these individuals to be presented. The majority of the film is told through the ingenious device of Hoover dictating his memoir to several young agents as they write it over the course of several years. While this does lead to a somewhat distorted timeline, jumping between past and present, it never becomes tedious and actually allows for added drama.

There’s a lot that can be said about this film. “J. Edgar” is one of the best, if not the best film of 2011.

Luke Bohannon