Good production values and a solid performance by Stewart lift this overlong film out of the doldrums, although it is essentially an FBI propaganda film, extolling the virtues of one man, the despotic J. Edgar Hoover, through the heroic actions of his underlings. The film opens with
Stewart slaving away in a backwater bureau office in 1924. (It was then known as the Bureau of Investigation, was poorly organized, and run haphazardly by one-time private eye, William J. Burns.) His wife, Miles, wants Stewart to quit his job and become a lawyer so they can better themselves.
Stewart goes to Washington, DC, to resign, but, upon meeting the new chief, Hoover, and being i...
Released:
1959
Rated:
NR
Length:
149 mins