Movie Review: Capote

Capote: Torgo approves

I am disappointed in how they condensed the story in this movie. Things feel rushed. The relationship between Capote and Perry Smith doesn't have time to develop. Aside from that, I think this is a very good movie.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is always fun to watch, and he nails Capote, based on what little footage of the actual author I've seen. (shameless sidenote: it's also very cool to see him now, because I met him at Bennington a year or two ago. He seemed like a nice guy.)

Catherine Keener is also good as Harper Lee. And the actor playing Perry Smith does a good job with a difficult role. I don't think enough credit is given to that role. Perry Smith is, I would say, more difficult to play than Capote. He's many things in one, and while the actor in this movie doesn't bring as much to the part as Hoffman to his, he still does a solid job.

The dvd extras pointed to the color scheme, among other things, as being very deliberate. I noticed that (not to the extent that they discuss in the extras) and thought it was well done. The movie is in color, but very limited color. All the images are very drab, muted, and dreary. It works.

I also enjoyed the movie because I read In Cold Blood about a year ago and that is one of the best novels I've read in many years. I highly recommend the book. I'm not sure if it's better to read the book before seeing the movie (it's unique in that it's not a movie of the book, but rather of how Capote wrote the book, but in this case, that's critical, because Capote and the book became so intertwined).