Capote

Capote is a tricky film to comment on. It is about one of America's most famous writers. Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman). This is not a biopic on his entire life. Like the other films in its genre, this is about the build up to his finest hour. The build up to his most famous book "In Cold Blood". It bizarrely portrays the actions of this eccentric man as he investigates on the a shocking murder of a family in Kansas. When the 2 killers are finally caught Capote desperately tries to earn one of the killers trust in order to complete his book.

Throughout the film I didn't know whether the film was boring or interesting. It seems as though director Bennett Miller purposely made this film not to be thrilling or compelling as such, or even to draw the audience in, but just to tell the story of this strange mans selfish journey to use this prisoner, and to fool him into believing that he is his friend just so he can use his story. Capote almost admits to using this man when he tells his friends that "He is a goldmine".

Although the film doesn't really have any qualities to it. It does have the power to make Truman Capote both the hero and the villain. This is told through his selfishness and the way he uses this guilty prisoner; but at the same time a hero, as we the audience are almost fooled into thinking he actually is this mans companion. We are also never told too much about Capote's character. The only evidence on his past is proved when we are told that his mother killed herself, and although there is a close relationship with fellow author Alvin Dewey, there is no evidence that Capote is a homosexual, despite his eccentric nature.

I really wouldn't recommend Capote, as it is not a film for everyone. If it wasn't for Phillip Seymour Hoffman breathing life into this film I would have definitely walked out or passed out with boredom. Fantastic performances keep this poor novel a best seller.