Truman Capote, a writer and socialite, becomes obsessed with a crime committed in Kansas - the slaying of a family of four and he travels to Kansas with friend and fellow writer, Nelle Harper Lee. When the killers are found, Capote uses his skills as a writer to get access to them, hoping that by doing so, he can put together a bestseller. As his relationship with the killers, particularly Perry Smith, develops though, he becomes far more involved than expected - if he doesn't work out what Perry wants from him, he won't get the story that he needs for his book, but if he does work it out, he will have to betray Perry. Will he do 'the right thing?' And how will his relationship with Perry end?
Considering I had barely heard of Truman Capote eighteen months ago, I've suddenly become a bit of an expert on him and his work. First I was deeply impressed by Philip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of Truman in the film Capote, which is based around the writing of his book, In Cold Blood, on the Kansas killings. Then I read some of Capote's work, including In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's. Then I was surprised to find out from another reviewer that another film based around Capote's involvement with the Kansas killings had been released shortly after Capote. The two films, Capote and Infamous, are based on books by different authors; Capote is based on Gerald Clarke, Infamous by George Plimpton. Interested, I watched Infamous, wondering why the producers had decided to make a second film about Truman Capote so soon after the last. It is difficult not to compare the two films, which both have their merits, although there is only one winner as far as I am concerned.
After
having seen Seymour Hoffman's performance, which I thought spectacular, I didn't really expect Toby Jones to do anything extraordinary. I was wrong. He was fantastic. Once I had got over the silly voice (which I have read is far more like Capote's real voice than Seymour Hoffman's), which is a little off-putting at first - it sounds a bit like a child on helium - I quickly found myself glued to the screen. It seems as if the role was made for him, to the extent that I forgot that he is an actor. I have been impressed with Toby Jones before - I loved him as Waddington in The Painted Veil - but I think he excelled himself here and he is every bit as good as Seymour Hoffman. I think that the producers have done him a great disservice by bringing out the film so soon after Capote though - he will always be compared, and quite possibly negatively, when he has given a great performance in his own right.
I was less impressed by his co-actors, although I admit I am once again comparing to the same roles in Capote, which isn't totally fair. Sandra Bullock plays Nelle Harper Lee, who spends a lot of time with Capote as he is writing his book. Bullock gives a very understated performance as Nelle, who isn't always convinced that Truman is right in what he is doing. Theoretically there was nothing wrong with her performance, but I couldn't forget that she was Sandra Bullock, which took my attention away from the film. Catherine Keener, who plays the same role in Capote was much better.
I was really looking forward to seeing how Daniel Craig played the role of Perry Smith. I was blown away by Clifton Collins Jr in the same role in Capote. Perhaps because of this, I didn't feel the same shiver down the spine with Craig's performance. Again, there was nothing that I could pinpoint that was wrong with his performance (except perhaps that he is supposed to have a Native Indian mother and he doesn't look like he does), I just couldn't forget that he was really Daniel Craig, a rather good-looking actor. When Capote ended, I was deeply moved by what happens to Perry Smith - with this film, I just wasn't that bothered.
There are some other big names in this film. Sigourney Weaver plays one of the socialites that Capote hangs around with; Juliet Stevenson plays another. They both gave good performances and worked well within the slots that they were given, but they have both been better in other films. Jeff Daniels gives a lacklustre performance as Alvin Dewey, the detective in charge of the Kansas killings. Lee Pace as Perry Smith's partner in crime is so-so - again, I thought the actor in Capote was much better.
I couldn't help feeling that the direction of this film didn't quite meet the standards of Capote. When I watched Capote, the atmosphere in the cinema was charged - the suspense about whether the killers would be found and what would happen to them if they were was very well built up; then we were enthralled because we didn't know whether Perry would tell Capote what had really happened that day. In Infamous, it felt much more rushed - it was far more of an ordinary biopic that was just telling the story as it happened, particularly with regard to the feelings between Capote and Perry Smith, which were much more clearly documented here. This should be a good thing; but I think I preferred the more thought-provoking and less obvious way that it was shown in Capote.
I felt that the film was rushed towards the end. The period where Smith and his partner are appealing against their sentence was particularly rushed; yet this period played a key part in Capote and Perry Smith's relationship and actually lasted for years. This meant that the uncomfortable feeling I felt when watching the same time period in Capote wasn't there and I felt a little disjointed, as if it wasn't that important.
One thing I did like about this film was the way that Capote's involvment with the Kansas killers is told not just through the actor's performance, but also in a series of 'interviews' with his friends and colleagues after the event, which explains his feelings at the time and afterwards. This helped to give a really human edge to the film, which, just concentrating on Capote himself, would have made him seem completely out of order. Although these interviews are dotted throughout the film, they didn't break up the continuity at all and seemed completely natural.
Despite my constant comparison between Capote and Infamous, I do think that Infamous deserves to stand out on its own merits, because it is an excellent film. Unfortunately, for me, it didn't quite have the edge that Capote had. I can't understand why the decision was made to bring Infamous out so soon after Capote, unless it was in the hope that the interest garnered by Capote would mean there was more interest in Infamous. Infamous did bring some different aspects of the story out, which I found interesting - his homosexuality for one, but then I have become very interested in Truman Capote as a character and writer, whereas I think many would find it a boring repeat of what they had already been told. This is a great shame, because I think that this film will be forgotten about far more quickly than Capote, when Toby Jones' performance deserves to go down in film history.
If you have to chose between Capote and Infamous, I would recommend Capote. For me, it has grittier performances and a more hair-raising feeling of horror. Maybe I would have felt different had I seen Infamous first, but I don't think so. However, Infamous is still an excellent film that deserves to be seen - if you can bear watching a second film about Capote that has many similarities to the first.
I watched a rental version of the DVD, which didn't have extras and am therefore reviewing the film only (and have chosen the film only option below). The DVD with extras is available from play.com for £6.99.
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: John Duigan - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Charlize Theron, Stuart Townsend, Penelope Cruz
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Really well written, detailed and very informative DVD review there indeed. I too thought this was an excellent Film, and a stunning performance by Toby Jones as well..........Roy......
Advantages: Gives those not born and those that witnessed it the chance to see England in their greatest sporting triumph. Disadvantages: Price is a little hefty
![Infamous [DVD] [2006]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78054576.jpg "Infamous [DVD] [2006]")
Nov 17th, 2007
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