The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover

Directed by Larry Cohen, The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover details the life and career of the infamous FBI director (Broderick Crawford) and the impact his actions ultimately have on a raft of periphery figures – including Michael Parks’ Robert F. Kennedy, Rip Torn’s Dwight Webb, and Dan Dailey’s Clyde Tolson. Filmmaker Cohen, working from his own screenplay, delivers a mostly uninvolving and unconvincing drama that’s rarely, if ever, able to cultivate an atmosphere of authenticity, as the picture suffers from an often hilariously on-the-nose sensibility that prevents the viewer from forming any kind of connection with the various characters – with this especially true of Crawford’s less-than-captivating title protagonist. It’s clear, certainly, that the underwhelming vibe is compounded by an episodic narrative that hits all of the major touchstones of Hoover’s life without much in the way of connective tissue (ie it’s like watching a Wikipedia synopsis come to life), and although Cohen has admittedly packed the proceedings with a handful of entertainingly salacious sequences, The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover progresses into a seriously sluggish second half that paves the way for a downright interminable third act – which ultimately does cement the picture’s place as a palpable misfire that squanders several better-than-average performances.

*1/2 out of ****