Leonardo DiCaprio Enters the Oscar Race in First Trailer for 'J. Edgar'

By Christopher Rosen (Subscribe to Christopher Rosen's posts)

Posted Sep 19th 2011 9:40PM

"It's time this generation learned the difference between a villain and a hero." So says Leonardo DiCaprio as an old J. Edgar Hoover in the first trailer for the Clint Eastwood-directed Academy Awards hopeful 'J. Edgar.' Ominous! 'Dark Knight'-y, even! Does DiCaprio have enough to take down Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Jean Dujardin in the Best Actor race? Does 'J. Edgar' have enough to go the distance? Watch the trailer ahead.


About those Oscar-y questions: maybe and... maybe? Thanks to the eccentric real-life lead character and the presence of DiCaprio, watching the trailer for 'J. Edgar' immediately recalls 'The Aviator,' Martin Scorsese's period swing at Academy Awards glory. Maybe that's the point: 'The Aviator' was nominated 11 times at the 2005 ceremonies, grabbing five wins -- though none for DiCaprio, Scorsese or Best Picture. Still: 11 nominations! Not too shabby!

Of course, the bigger question is how much of Hoover's personal life will make it onto the screen. Written by Dustin Lance Black ('Milk'), 'J. Edgar' supposedly deals with Hoover's possible romantic relationship with his No. 2, Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer, complete with his full 'Social Network' grin). That aspect of Hoover's life isn't really present in the trailer, beyond a clandestine hand-hold in the back of a limo. If Eastwood goes there, 'J. Edgar' could be more than just another boilerplate biopic. For now, though, that's what Warner Bros. is selling. Hey, it worked for 'The Aviator.' To an extent.

Head over to Apple to watch in HD. (Embed via Coming Soon)

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