Movie Review

Capote, In Cold Blood

A Movie Review By Susan Frome

"Capote" is the latest in an historical line of books and movies about the famous and horrid real-life murders in Holcomb, Kansas on November 15, 1959. The sequence goes like this: Truman Capote's impressive book, based on his extensive research over five years, In Cold Blood published in 1966, was the first attempt to tell this story; secondly, the movie "In Cold Blood", starring Robert Blake based on Capote's book made its appearance in 1967; a biography of Capote by Gerald Clarke came out in 1988; and now the movie "Capote" written by Dan Futterman based on Clarke's book.

One of the many interesting things about this subject is that neither the movie reviews nor the movie "Capote" tells us why two ex-convicts, believing there was $10,000 in an isolated farmhouse in Holcomb, should end up savagely murdering the Clutter family - two adults and two teenage children. We know how they did it - with a knife and a rifle - but we are not told why. I have not found a copy of the Richard Brooks' 1967 movie nor have I had time to read In Cold Blood (in time for this review), which may explain the whole thing. But that's not the point. Viewers should not have to do their own research before ( or after) seeing a current film; the film itself should tell us what we need to know. And though the primary subject of "Capote" is the writer's unfolding involvement and research, the viewer can't help continuing to wonder why? And how the two ex-cons immediately became the leading suspects and how they were caught.

The movie "Capote" is primarily about how the New Yorker writer came to write his renowned book and not about the tragic events of that night or what led up to them. But, again, as the story moves along, those become the very things we do want to know more about. Instead we are treated to a detailed and believable characterization by Philip Seymour Hoffman of the Southern homosexual writer who made it to the inside world of writing and publishing, fashion and high society in New York City in the 1950s. He had already written "Breakfast at Tiffany's," when the murder story appeared in the New York Times. Suddenly he knew it could be his Big Story. He and his friend, Harper Lee (who wrote"To Kill a Mockingbird"), played dependably by Catherine Keener, packed up and went to Kansas to investigate.
Here is where, for all intents and purposes, this movie begins. But setting the scene is cinematographer Adam Kimmel, already out there ahead of them, shooting stunning views of the Kansas plains, fields, trees and broad landscapes dusted in snow; the simple quiet farmhouse of the Clutter family in the distance, then closer and closer. Kimmel has gently set us down in the middle of America where all is secure and safe and normal. But all is not well as we have learned from "Bonnie and Clyde" and "Badlands" - terrible things happen.

However, we are not allowed to see anything of the murders until near the end of the film. Instead we see Capote and Lee interviewing town folk and the Head of Investigation Chris Cooper, getting nowhere, standing in a crowd as the killers are finally brought into town in what seem like limos, and dropped off at the local jail (part of which is in the Sheriff's home kitchen).

Cut to a cocktail party in New York where Capote is holding forth, glibly entertaining his coterie of fans. Hoffman plays these scenes so well with a flutter of hands here, and the sipping of a martini there. Then back to the cell block where the two men have been removed. Capote quickly notices the sensitivity of the one called Perry Smith (Clifton Collins, Jr.) and moves in to make friends, starting out by feeding him baby food (Smith has not eaten in weeks in a quasi-attempted suicide). Perry does have "saving graces," - he writes journals, draws quite well, and tries to read Thoreau's "Walden," a gift from Capote.

Eventually, though, it goes sour, because after four years of conversations, Perry still has not told Capote what happened and why on the night in question. Finally Perry describes a couple of the murder scenes which flash across the screen. But as to the perpetual question why, no answer.

The movie may seem slow but actually it moves along quite well; we are interested and we follow. The photography is remarkable, the actors, especially Hoffman, perform well, the direction by Bennett Miller is clear and straight forward.
A distinctly unbearable scene is the execution of Perry. He is taken out to what seems like a large Kansas barn where a temporary scaffold has been rigged up with a noose.

He climbs the old wooden stairs, is fitted with the noose, the trap opens, and down he goes with a thud. Twisting and turning, it's over. Capote has come to be one of a small group in attendance because Perry asked him to. We know Perry's a killer, we know he should be punished, but this is just too much like a lynch mob out in the backyard of a back set of a western.

We wish that it were just a movie.

As the audience silently walks out, the question of "why did he do it?" is still up in the air.

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