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CAPOTE / Bennett Miller (2005)

October 7th, 2005 by Scott Marks

Clifton Collins, Jr. & Philip Seymour Hoffman in Bennett Miller’s CAPOTE (2005)

Capote (2005)

Directed by: Bennett Miller

Written by: Dan Futterman, Gerald Clarke

Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Clifton Collins, Jr., Catherine Keener, Chris Cooper, Allie Mickelson, Kelci Stephenson, Craig Archibald, Bronwen Coleman, Kate Shindle, David Wilson Barnes, Michael J. Burg, Kwesi Ameyaw, Andrew Farago, Ken Krotowich, Chris Cooper, R.D. Reid, Rob McLaughlin

Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1

Genres: Biography, Crime, Drama

Running Time: 110 min.

Rating: ★★★★☆

There was something about that back page New York Times article detailing four grisly murders that commanded Truman Capote’s attention. More than just a follow-up to Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the author envisioned a new way of telling a story: a “non-fiction novel” that attempted to elevate Dick and Perry, two nomadic killers, to the realm of humanity.

Without an acquittal or a hanging, his book had no ending and Capote follows the author’s quest to put an “Amen” on In Cold Blood. Confident that we know how this one ends, the filmmakers steer us in the direction of the truth as the proud and haughty Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) saw it. Tagging future To Kill a Mockingbird author Nelle Harper Lee (the indispensable Catherine Keener) as his research assistant/bodyguard, the two embark on a five-year journey that commences in a decidedly Oz-less Kansas.

The pair arrive in hostile Holcomb, a backward town that refuses to stock Tiffany’s in their public library. As if Bergdorf scarves and camel hair topcoats weren’t enough to warrant dirty looks from the locals, there was Capote’s peculiar voice to contend with.

Those of you old enough to remember his witty, acerbic appearances on late night talk shows will never forget his lazy-tongued lisp. Hoffman perfectly captures its childlike essence and both he and director Miller make it a point never to cross the camp barrier. A few well-positioned sideway glances from the men folk tell all we need to know of their barely concealed contempt. The only ones in town familiar with his writing are women, and once they inform their hubbies of the author’s prominence it is just a matter of time before he charms his way into their confidence.

While Dick (Mark Pelligrino) is content to whack off to skin magazines, Perry (Clifton Collins, Jr.), with Capote’s backing, mounts his jailhouse defense. Time spent with Perry threatens Capote’s relationship with his lover/fellow novelist Jack Dunphy (Bruce Greenwood). The fey author definitely craved the muscular, heavily tattooed Perry, but his obsession transcended mere lust. Through Perry, Truman was able to tap into his dark side. “It was as though we both lived in the same house, only one day he left through the back door and I left through the front.”

Just beneath Capote’s frivolous surface beat the heart of a well-oiled (mostly by J&B Scotch) self-promotion machine. Whether he’s tipping a Pullman porter to impress Lee (she calls him on it), playing jet-setting raconteur to countless party guests, or revealing just enough of himself to win over a witness, Capote’s main fascination is Capote.

Initially, he lets it slip that bringing the killers to justice was of no concern to him and later confesses that their ultimate fate beyond his novel was equally unimportant. Capote wanted them kept alive for anything but humanistic reasons. If Perry died without detailing the motivations behind the slaughter, In Cold Blood might have died with him, and Tru had a publisher and several bartenders to answer to.

Much will be written and said (deservedly so) about Hoffman, but I hope the buzz doesn’t eclipse the brilliance of Clifton Collins, Jr’s performance. Collins first caught my eye in Dead Presidents and he became a permanent fixture in my character actor Rolodex as the ruthless drug dealer in Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic. He’s a less annoying John Leguizamo with a broader range and much more talent.

You should be quick to note my aversion to Oscar buzz. F the Academy! Personally, I hope Miller and Hoffman don’t win thus placing them among the ranks of “losers” Hitchcock, Cary Grant and Martin Scorsese instead of unworthy doorstop owners Red Buttons, spielberg and the projectile diarrhea that is Forrest Gump.

This is the director’s second film and once again he chooses for his subject another self-absorbed, real-life spellbinder. Remember Timothy ‘Speed’ Levitch, the annoyingly endearing Gray Line tour guide who commandeered The Cruise? Shifting with the greatest of ease from urban documentary to period biography, Miller shows an assured sense of space and pace. His serene landscapes, both concrete and wooded, quietly set a stage for the flamboyant Capote to overpower. Help this film find an audience, and when you finish watching this terrific biopic, do yourself the ultimate favor by checking out the book that started it all.

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Filed Under Reviews, Theatrical