Capote

Capote is yet another reason to skip the mainstream cinematic garbage Hollywood is churning out, and check out your local indi cinema. In Calgary, Capote is only playing at the Globe Theatre downtown, and unfortunately is only accessible to the regular movie buff who sees every damn film that rolls into town, such as myself. Capote is the story of author Truman Capote in the midst of writing the world's first ever non-fiction novel, "In Cold Blood". In Cold Blood was an examination of the murder of a family in a small town in Kansas in the 1980's and was a brilliant portrait of the murderers involved. Capote the film mirrors the book in that way, it is one of the most amazing character portraits ever displayed on screen in the history of film. And yes I've seen Jamie Foxx in Ray, and Tom Hulce in Amadeus, and Leonardo DiCaprio in the Aviator, and the other countless biopics we've seen over the years, and yes all the actors give great performances and all the movies are terrific. But I have never seen anything quite like Philip Seymour Hoffman portray Truman Capote. I've seen Hoffman before with small roles in Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Red Dragon, and Punch Drunk Love. But I never knew he was capable of giving such a mesmerizing performance. First of all his face is always busy, whether it be his eyes shifting or his lips curling, or knitting is eyebrows, you can always see his mind buzzing away rapidly. And since Capote is clearly an exceedingly intelligent man, this business in the face is absolutely crucial to getting the audience to believe who he is. Everything else he does, the hand gestures, the eerie voice, is just perfect. Hoffman is also aided by a terrific script that beautifully illustrates Capote's inner turmoil and confliction and character flaws, through the use of several extremely powerful scenes where Capote interviews the murderer. It is in these scenes the movie gains it's power, while the rest is somewhat dull and less important, the scenes between those two are sheer genius. You could swear it was the real thing on A&E or something, it is that good. Unforunatelly while the rest of the cast is strong, the characters are lacking, and the movie is drawn-out and lacking in a strong driving force to keep the movie going. The pacing is slightly off, and sags at points. But Hoffman and Clifton Collins Jr, who plays Perry the murderer, are so intense and so believable, it makes Capote a truly classic film, and one of the best of 2005.