'J. Edgar' Trailer: Leonardo DiCaprio Flourishes

[NelsonG]

As a general rule, I really try hard to avoid seeing movie trailers. They're just so spoiler-y these days! Most people love them, but I don't like the fact that I often see all the good scenes before I see the actual movie. But every now and again someone crafts a more artful trailer that does the job of piquing my curiosity perfectly. The new teaser for "[url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/469428/moviemain.jhtml"]J. Edgar[/url]" is a fine example.

[url="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/jedgar/"][img]http://moviesblog.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/jedgar.jpg[/img][/url]

The director/star combo of [url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/78111/personmain.jhtml"]Clint Eastwood[/url] and [url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/16710/personmain.jhtml"]Leonardo DiCaprio[/url] is intriguing but since I'm not a U.S. history buff, the story of FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover is less so. But now that I've seen the trailer I'm totally hooked! It's artsy, stylized, features shots of all the principal cast members, and is beautifully scored. In other words, it's total award season bait.

A brown-eyed DiCaprio as J. Edgar provides most of the narrative via voice over.

"When morals decline and good men do nothing, evil flourishes," he begins, his voice speaking over a scene of an explosion being triggered in the living room of wealthy home. "A society unwilling to learn from the past, is doomed," he continues, over clips of the civil rights and war protests. "We must never forget our history. We must never lower our guard."

From here on out, the trailer covers more of the action and drama of the film, Hoover's formation of the FBI, his appointment of rumored lover Clyde Tolson (played by [url="http://www.mtv.com/movies/person/452190/personmain.jhtml"]Armie Hammer[/url]), his relationship with his mother (Judi Dench) and hints at a professional and personal downfall.

"It's time this generation learned the difference between villain and hero," a visibly aged DiCarprio as Hoover says at the end. "Even great men can be corrupted."

[i]What do you think of the trailer? Tell us in the comments or on [url="http://twitter.com/mtvmoviesblog"]Twitter[/url]![/i]



[url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/09/20/j-edgar-trailer-leonardo-dicaprio/]View the full article[/url]