Long day's journey into complete darkness

Rating: 10/10 (8 February 2006)

Atmospheric, chilling and bleak, this film is a stunner from beginning to end. The mood is brilliantly set during the opening credits, and it never wanes. At the center, of course, is Philip Seymour Hoffman's magnificent portrayal of Truman Capote. Speaking in his wistful baby voice, with its overpowering narcotic effect, Hoffman evokes the man from the inside out, virtually disappearing into the role. There were just a couple of times where I could see that sly little Hoffman grin in there but only for a few fleeting seconds. This is an Oscar-worthy performance, right up there with Jeremy Irons' cunning portrayal of Claus von Bulow in Reversal of Fortune.
Capote, however, is a much better film overall. The excruciatingly dark subject matter is handled brilliantly, with all its conflict and complexity displayed with superb subtlety. As a writer myself, I know all too well about walking that fine line between serving your story and serving yourself - allowing yourself to say and/or do whatever it takes to get what you need, to become whatever you have to be in order to gain trust, sometimes at the expense of one's own morality and judgment. Truman exploits and manipulates Perry relentlessly, even though he does have genuine feelings for him; this destructive conflict of interests is at the heart of the film, and it's depicted with chilling clarity. You understand from the get-go, the second that Truman sees the pictures, with the pillows placed under the victims' heads, that the cold-blooded criminal who did this can be manipulated, because he is 'human' on some level, and as soon as he gets his chance, he pounces. Quietly, with insidious intellectual premeditation.
The thing I appreciated the most was how Perry understood Truman's compulsion to exploit him and he didn't mind. This made it even harder for Truman to deal with, and it ultimately destroyed him - artistically, and, even sadder, as a human being.