Release Date:
Friday, October 13, 2006
About this time last year, Capote, the story of how famed author and New York society gadfly Truman Capote came to write the modern crime classic In Cold Blood opened to rave reviews and eventually won Best Actor honors for it's star Philip Seymour Hoffman at the Oscars. Unfortunately, at the same time there was a competing film telling the exact same story that got pushed aside proving there's only one, maybe two original ideas floating around in Hollywood. Against all odds, that second film has now been made and in some ways outshines its predecessor, especially with a stellar cast that includes Sigourney Weaver, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Daniels. In Infamous, British actor Toby Jones (every bit as good as Hoffman but oozing superior attitude and looking like he could be Capote's twin) shows the outrageous flamboyance of the author that was missing the first time around. Scenes with Kansas locals where he namedrops his famous friends are priceless. But once this film gets fully wrapped up in the making of his legendary novel, it starts to feel like deja vu time, with the exception of some explicit jailhouse encounters with the murderer Perry Smith to whom he is strangely attracted. These scenes are played intensely by Jones, and new James Bond Daniel Craig will get people really talking. But despite all its fine attributes, including Sandra Bullock perfectly capturing Capote's partner in reporting Harper Lee, it's hard to imagine why anyone would really want to go through this whole saga again. On the other hand, if its another "Truman" show you want, Infamous certainly will fill you up.