Hoffman was terrific, but the film was not all that great

Rating: 6/10 (20 May 2007)

I'm seeing this late - in May 2007 - and I enjoyed it, but the film was, ultimately, just kind of there. Hoffman was wonderful as Capote. He's quite an actor and deserving of the great reviews and the Oscar he got for this, but the film just didn't grab me. It was interesting to watch Capote working the angles to get the story, it was heartbreaking to see Perry Smith's talent and intelligence (at least as portrayed in the film) having been wasted, it was interesting to see how Capote manipulated Perry to get what he wanted, but it didn't add up to a great movie. It's not something I'd heartily recommend to someone. It's certainly going to take someone who likes more cerebral movies to watch it (too many people think movies are for disconnecting your brain). I liked it for the performances, but it could have been a better movie. In the final analysis, I was a bit disappointed.