J. Edgar (2011)

In the 1920s, the United States of America was a lawless place. The Bureau of Investigation - later to become the FBI - was still in its infancy and incapable of calling Tommy gun-wielding gangsters to heel.

Then came J Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio). Over almost half a century he revolutionised the US crime-fighting agency, cracking down on famous hoodlums from John Dillinger to 'Baby Face' Nelson and taking on the white supremacists of the Ku Klux Klan.

However, with his successes came controversy, including the introduction of intrusive investigative methods and a secluded private life that went against much of his public persona. Both enigmatic and straight-shooting, for good or ill he made the FBI what it is today.

With Academy favourite Clint Eastwood at the helm, a luminescent lead in DiCaprio, and Oscar-winning writer Dustin Lance Black penning the screenplay, this has all the ingredients to be an awards juggernaut. An unfortunate lack of focus in the depiction lets the feature down somewhat, but this can be overlooked thanks to a powerful turn from DiCaprio, plus the usual impeccable production design and shooting audiences have come to expect from his director.