The late
Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) took a long time to complete his most
famous work, In Cold Blood. The story begins in 1959, when a family of
four are murdered in Kansas. Assisted by his childhood friend Harper Lee
(Catherine Keener) (soon to become famous as the author of To Kill a Mockingbird),
Capote heads there to write an article that eventually turns into a book.
Though the murderers are quickly caught, his fascination with the case grows.
The movie concentrates on Capote as a personality rather than the details of
the crime. Already celebrated as the author of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Capote
was the witty bon vivant of New York literary society. Never modest, he
announces his invention of the ‘nonfiction novel’ even before he’s written it.
Lisping and openly gay before the term existed, Capote is an odd figure in
rural Kansas, yet insinuates himself with first the local police chief (Chris
Cooper) and then the killers. The Capote here is a mixture of style, compassion
and self-interest that veers into self-delusion. He’s perhaps more mysterious
at the film’s end than at the beginning, but Hoffman’s brilliant portrayal
makes him always interesting to watch.
circulated via email 11/17/05 and posted 9/30/13
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