Contender: 'J. Edgar'

As mind from the FBI for pretty much 40 years, J. Edgar Hoover understood the strategies of a few of the country's most effective males, but very guarded their own.Now a trio of Oscar heavyweights -- star Leonardo DiCaprio (a 3-time nom), director Clint Eastwood (that has four Oscar statuettes) and writing champion Dustin Lance Black -- tries to get inside his mind within this ambitious, and sometimes speculative, biopic.Hot off a higher-profile premiere in the AFI Film Fest, the half-century-spanning lesson in history -- which co-stars Naomi W as Helen Gandy, Hoover's secretary for 54 years, and Armie Hammer ("The Social Networking") as reliable deputy Clyde Tolson -- touches on such important 20th-century occasions because the Lindbergh kidnapping, JFK's murder and also the civil-privileges movement.As you might expect from the bio-pic composed through the author of "Milk," the film also addresses the continuing speculation and gossips that Hoover, who never married or had kids, was privately gay coupled with a romantic relationship with Tolson (the 2 dined daily as well as vacationed together).Though Eastwood's history demands the film be studied seriously, reviews suggest its Oscar chances might be compromised by defects in from the script to old-age makeup.Release date: November. 11 Distrib: Warner Bros. Browse the Variety review Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com