February 25, 2007

Infamous

Infamous **** Known as “the other Truman Capote film”, this one is much better than the other more famous film. All of the performances were exceptional, and while the story follows a similar arc to Capote, the style of reportage-fiction neatly mimics Capote’s own approach to story-telling. Sandra Bullock was a real surprise here - really good - and Daniel Craig is unrecognizable and brilliant as the sensitive but volatile killer, as he truly makes you feel both the sympathy and the hatred for this man. This story makes more of the ‘romance’ between Capote and Smith, but this element goes a long way to explaining Capote’s spiralling downfall and own tragic end. Toby Jones is more believable as the extravagant and outrageous Capote, and the portrayals of his friendships in both New York and Kansas are given real depth and understanding. The film also looks great, and the story is paced very well. It is too bad it did not do as well as Capote, as this film is more gripping and enjoyable.