Capote Review
by Mark Leeper (mleeper AT optonline DOT net)September 28th, 2005
CAPOTE
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: This is a film portrait of Truman Capote
that in its own way is both admiring and damning.
Capote investigates the murders that he was to
chronicle in his docu-novel IN COLD BLOOD. To
make the story better he also manipulates events
and people. He is incisive, ironically
charismatic, and treacherous. Philip Seymour
Hoffman has his best role to date--perhaps the
best he can ever hope to get. Rating: high +2
(-4 to +4) or 7/10
On November 15, 1959, a successful Holcomb, Kansas, farmer, Herb Clutter, his wife Bonnie, his daughter Nancy (age sixteen), and his son Kenyon (age fifteen), were bound and gagged, robbed, and murdered. New York writer Truman Capote saw the news story and became fascinated with the murder. He traveled to Holcomb to investigate and report on the murder himself. The result was a non-fiction novel serialized in the New Yorker magazine in 1965, published as a novel in 1966, and made into a film in 1967. CAPOTE is the story of how Truman Capote imposed himself into the investigation and got both law officials and the accused to cooperate with his inquiry.
Dan Futterman's screenplay based on a biography by Gerald Clarke is a powerful indictment of the man. Capote was one of the last people one would expect to be charismatic. His voice was an odd combination of Southern accent and swishy lisp. His manner was elitist and intellectual. He dressed flamboyantly. Hoffman does an amazing impression of the real Capote. While his mannerisms might be off-putting to the people of a rural Kansas town, he exudes a certain grace and allure that gets people who normally would be on their guard to open up to him. He seems harmless and sincere, so much so the viewer is shocked to see that when he himself lowers his guard he is vicious and callous to the people he has charmed and even to his close friends. Of his friends his closest confidant is Nelle Harper Lee (played by Catherine Keener) who is working on her own book at the same time, a book whose title keeps changing but will have something to do with a mockingbird. Any conversation with Capote, no matter how informal it seemed, could be on the record. Capote measured his own recall at 94 percent.
Truman Capote uses these characteristics to get his story written, a goal that becomes an obsession. When the town sheriff (Chris Cooper) wants little to do with the New York City writer Capote manages to wangle a dinner invitation from his wife by parlaying his modest fame as a writer to win her over. He similarly charms the two suspects of the crime and convinces the weaker of the two, Perry Smith (played by Clifton Collins, Jr.), that he is their only friend. He lies and confuses people and manipulates timing of events for his convenience.
Director Bennett Miller's only previous film is the documentary THE CRUISE. Here he make a powerful film that does not replace the film IN COLD BLOOD, but should been seen with it. It is hard to imagine Phillip Seymour Hoffman ever getting a better role or ever making a role so much his own. His Capote is reminiscent of Salieri's attitude toward Mozart in AMADEUS. He seems to have far too much talent squandered on too unworthy a person. Capote has the ability to write the book this murder account could make, but he is undeserving of the honor of the accomplishment.
Particularly for people who have seen IN COLD BLOOD (or read the book), this film is a compelling look at what else was going on so close to the action. I think that this film will do good things for Philip Seymour Hoffman's career. I rate CAPOTE a high +2 on the -4 to +4 scale or 7/10.
Mark R. Leeper
[email protected]
Copyright 2005 Mark R. Leeper
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
