Capote (USA) (United Artists/Sony Pictures) (2005) ***1/2Year: 2005iMDB
Director: Bennett Miller Cast: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Clifton Collins Jr., Chris Cooper
Capote is not as much the story of writer Truman Capote, but rather the story of how he created his most famous novel In Cold Blood. Hoffman is extremely good at capturing Capote's personality, his need for attention, his extreme selfishness yet with a strong desire to be perceived by others as a good man. Capote befriends Perry Smith (Clifton Collins jr.), the multi-faceted murderer of an entire family of four and, after gaining his trust he manages to produce one of the most compelling novels of the century, denying the novel title and its spirit to Perry even when he hears about it.
The movie starts off with no background or insight about who Truman Capote was, but Capote's character is very well fleshed out through his quest for the In Cold Blood novel. Catherine Keener gives a remarkable understated performance as Hoffman's life-long friend and also brilliant novelist Harper Lee. Overall the movie is extremely interesting for those familiar with Truman Capote's personality and work, and a decent introduction for those that never heard of him so far.
Posted by TheCasualCritic on January 21, 2006 11:41 AM