— I don’t need to tell you that, what determines a man’s legacy is often what isn’t seen. 

As a period biopic, J. Edgar is masterful. Few films span seven decades this comfortably. The sets, the props, the clothes, and details, look effortlessly right, and note how Eastwood handles the many supporting roles (some of them depicting famous people). These minor characters are all to some degree relating to Hoover’s formidable public image. As a person or as a character, he was a star of stage, screen, radio and print; he was said to have the goods on everyone. People tip-toed around him as they might have with Stalin. It’s a nice touch, the way Eastwood and DiCaprio create a character who seems to be a dead zone and make him electrifying in other actors’ reaction shots. — Roger Ebert

It doesn’t help that the story unfolds as a series of confusing flashbacks within flashbacks, and the secondary players are delivering impressions rather than performances. The sad truth is that more effort appears to have been spent designing the period look and feel for this story than on character development and narrative. As a result, J. Edgar feels like a half-baked meal. — Rajeev Masand