Infamous

This is the second film about Truman Capote and how he wrote In Cold Blood. The first one, simply entitled Capote, came out about a year ago. It went on to get five Oscar nominations and win a Best Actor Oscar (and just about every other Best Actor award) for Philip Seymour Hoffman. When I heard about this film I was wondering whether we needed another film about the exact same subject. And I am happy to say the we did.

Infamous is written and directed by Doug McGrath (Emma) and is based on a book by George Plimpton. The first part of the book follows Capote (Toby Jones) the social butterfly as he spends time partying and gossiping with his numerous friends. His list of friends is long so I am only going to give you the name of the actors who play them. They are, among others, Sigourney Weaver, Juliet Stevenson, Hope Davis, Isabella Rossellini and Peter Bogdonovich. Gwyneth Paltrow is also in the film but for only one scene - she plays Peggy Lee and she is actually singing. There is a light feeling in this part of the film and I found myself enjoying it and laughing quite a bit.

But Capote reads an article about the brutal slaying of a family of four in Kansas and becomes obsessed with finding out more about it. He takes along his friend Nelle Harper Lee (Sandra Bullock) and heads to Kansas to find out more as he is planning to write a piece for The New Yorker magazine. However, when he tries to find out more information he runs up against a wall because detective Alvin Dewey (Jeff Daniels) isn't interested in helping him out. But Capote eventually wins over Dewey and his wife and gets to interview the people who some of the local residents. Things really heat up when the two murderers are caught. Capote wants to interview them and he has no problem with Dick Hickock (Lee Pace) but Perry Smith (Daniel Craig) wants nothing to do with him. As time goes on Capote and Smith develop a closeness and the latter part of the film focuses on that. Everybody knows what happens next - the two men are executed, In Cold Blood is a smash success and Capote becomes very rich. But he is also very unhappy and never writes anything of significance again. In Cold Blood was not only Capote's ticket to great fame - it was also his downfall.

McGrath's script is filled with humor and pathos. He manages to fill the film with light and dark moods. Jones is wonderful as Capote and it is too bad that he will probably not get any awards attention. I actually wish that the film came out last year so that there might have been an actual battle between him and Hoffman (it would be hard to decide who was better). Bullock gives what I think is the best performance of her career as the reclusive Lee. And Craig is just mesmerizing and intense as Smith. The rest of the cast is also great.

Capote was a very good film but it was a bit distant and chilly. Infamous is warmer and, in some ways, more inviting. But this doesn't make one film better than the other. I just hope that people will not make the mistake of thinking that they don't want to see another film about Truman Capote and In Cold Blood. Because if they do they will be missing out a very worthwhile film and some top notch performances.