More about "In Cold Blood" than the author himself

Rating: 10/10 (29 March 2006)

Director Bennett Miller and writer Dan Futterman(adapting from a book by Gerald Clarke)bring to this screen a restrained,haunting story of Truman Capote's research and writing of the 1964 "true-crime,non-ficiton"novel "In Cold Blood". I presume that the film is named and centered around the flamboyant and brilliant writer and social gadabout because there was no more concise way to describe the way this news story phenomenon could be laid out.
Capote(deservedly award winning Philip Seymour Hoffman,who really is no surprise here,since he's had over a decade of palpably good film performances)is a unique portrayal here: he is never completely sympathetic(is he on the side of the shell-shocked townsfolk of Holcombe,KAnsas or is he merely exploiting their fear?Is he really sympathetic with Perry Smith or merely using him for the book? Is he really in need of peeling away at a social disconnect in American society or is he merely an opportunist?),but he is always compelling. CAtherine Keener's Harper Lee,friend,confidant and steely incorruptible, is well-done as well. Other standouts in the movie are Clifton Collins gives a sad and yet scary portrayal as Smith and Chris Cooper makes the most of a reduced character in KBI chief Alvin Dewey.
The quiet,meticulous sound-editing and soundtrack add to the meditative,blank mode that this movie tries to convey. Thought-provoking and strong,this film is for everyone who wonders how "trainwrecks" can become the fascination of one and many,based in an era where there were fewer media outlets and more palpable innocence. 10 out of 10