| Capote I have never read In Cold Blood (I did however get it for Christmas) and Truman Capote has never really given me much thought. However, when I heard there was a movie being made about him and the writing of this classic book, with the extra encouragement of a trailer a few months back with one of my favourite actors, Philip Seymour Hoffman, I was hooked to go see it. I was not disappointed. Depicting the events that led to the writing of the book, Capote is the story ultimately of how Truman collected the thoughts of the story and the relationship he formed with the killers to create a visual picture for the people who were not there. It is filled with genuine emotions and genuine manipulation and by the end, you are left with many confusing thoughts on how nonfiction books can be written. It was very much the film that a writer should see and maybe become afraid of at the same time. To say that Hoffman's performance is brilliant is an understatement. Fortunate to see one of his first roles in Twister on TV a few days before, Capote offers something for the actor to grab a hold of with zest. Never breaking for a second Hoffman, molds himself to this man even when the camera is not meant to be his spot. It can't be forgotten that he has a stellar cast to work with such as Catherine Keener and Chris Cooper, but most os Clifton Collins Jr. as Perry Smith, one of the murderers. Collins plays off Hoffman's ploys of friendship, sexual tension and sincererity with conviction, something not so easy to do. What helps these characters and actors though is a strong script. It would be easy to stick in stories of Capote as dressing, but Dan Futterman goes beyond the surface story and gives breathe to a remarkable story. Filled with underlying sexuality and going beyond the story to show a destruction of connecting too much with one's work, Capote tells a story all too common of the world of non fiction work. This is not a comfrtable film to watch, but for that fact, it makes it far more engrossing as an experience. Filled with questions and consequences, Capote gives a portrait of a writer who burnt out far before his time and the destruction an artist might endure to give his work resonance. It also gives a viewing into a classic story of murder in a small town and how it changes people. It is a story that we still see today in every newspaper and bookshelf and even more it is a story that has become a part of our need to know the story at all costs. |