Susan Granger’s review of “Capote” (Sony Pictures Classics)
With the publication of “In Cold Blood,” Truman Capote opened the door for writers who chronicle the notorious or the merely naughty. But at what price do these investigative journalists gain access to celebrities’ innermost thoughts and how much life-altering treachery is involved?
In 1959, when Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) reads about the brutal murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, he’s intrigued. Fascinated by the criminally violent, he hops a train with his research assistant/friend, Nelle Harper Lee (Catherine Keener), author of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” In the rural midwest, he cleverly cultivates those who can be helpful to him, like Alvin Dewey (Chris Cooper) of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Bribes gain him unlimited access to the accused killers (Clifton Collins Jr., Mark Pellegrino); never taking notes, Truman often brags that he has 94% recall of all conversations. “Just be careful what you do to get what you want,” his longtime lover (Bruce Greenwood) warns. Yet under the guise of friendship, Truman betrays their trust, condemning them, and himself, as definitively as the jury.
Philip Seymour Hoffman does a flat-out fabulous job, recreating Tru’s openly gay, flitting, self-centered demeanor and soft, childlike voice that disguises his ambitious motives. His timing is wonderful, his expressions priceless.And the fine supporting cast flourishes. Based on Gerald Clarke’s “Capote,” writer Dan Futterman and director Bennett Miller subtly let the story speak for itself. But their austerity and restraint lead to lethally slow pacing; too many moments drag. Yet on the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Capote” is a compelling 8. It’s the kind of movie you find yourself talking about the next day, particularly the dual meaning of “In Cold Blood.”
