I fascinating look at how Truman Capote came to write 'In Cold Blood'

Rating: 9/10 (20 June 2019)

Following the murder of a family of four in a remote corner of Kansas author Truman Capote decides it will be the subject of his next article for the 'New Yorker' magazine. He heads there with his friend and research assistant Nelle Harper Lee. They interview various locals and gradually befriend the lead investigator and his wife. It isn't long before he starts to think the story is more suited to being told in a book. When two young men are arrested he befriends then and after they are convicted he continues to visit them as they wait on death row and recommends they get a better lawyer and appeal. He now has two problems; to finish the book he needs them to tell him just what happened in the house that led to the four deaths and just as importantly he needs an ending which ongoing appeals won't provide.
This is a really interesting film even if you haven't read 'In Cold Blood'... perhaps more so as there is much to be learnt about the crimes. It must be stated though that this is about Capote's research, his relationship with the arrested men and the effect the story has on him. We are told what happened in the house on the night of the killings but this is a relatively small part of the story. The characters are impressively complex; most obviously Capote himself who we see manipulating the accused men and hoping for a conclusion that isn't in their interests; there is also a feeling that Smith is also trying to use Capote to save himself from the noose. Philip Seymour Hoffman does a fantastic job as Truman Capote; it is little surprise that he picked up an Academy Award for it. There is a solid supporting cast; notably from Catherine Keener as Harper Lee and Clifton Collins Jr as suspect Perry Smith. Overall I'd certainly recommend this film whether you are already interested in Truman Capote or are just after a fascinating story based on real events.