eyeCandy: Capote (2005) 4/5

The film Capote is about the infamous writer, Truman Capote - a role which is played to eerie perfection by the exceptionally talented and versatile Philip Seymour Hoffman (who lost 40 lbs for his part).

The story centres entirely around Capote's research for, and subsequent writing of, his popular "non-fiction novel", In Cold Blood (which, along with Breakfast at Tiffany's, is among his most popular works). The book is to be written about the murder of a family of four in Kansas, an act for which the two perpetrators provide no real explanation. As his research continues, the lead character establishes a relationship with one of the killers, with whom he develops a trust that Capote must ultimately break (given that, despite his occasional attempts to help the killers, Capote is convinced that this is the book that will make him, and a death sentence would wrap things up nicely).

The film provides some interesting insights into Capote, the man (e.g. he claims to have "94% recall about conversations" and was harassed about his unusual voice in school), and the story is well developed and delivered. There isn't exactly a lot of excitement in Capote, but the performances by Hoffman, Chris Cooper, and others are top notch. Once again, the movie, in my opinion, is that much better due to being based on a true story - it is interesting to see the times and tribulations of Capote in his heyday.

Capote was filmed in just 36 days, though this doesn't seem to have affected the craftsmanship evident here (it was nominated for 5 Academy Awards). In the end, though, the movie just didn't impact me very much, despite being a solid film. Still, it is a worthwhile watch (and respectfully clocks in at under two hours ;-) ).