Saw this one yesterday, easily one of the best flicks I’ve seen this year. Hoffman does a great job in the lead, and I found the film’s approach to Capote really well done.
I don’t know if I would have had an interest in a general bio pic about Capote, a general piece of shit. But framing him, his eccentricities, and his flaws with the situation and people behind his book, In Cold Blood, made it absolutely fascinating.
Capote, in the film at least, is truly a man who made his deal with the devil.
Another example, too, of how Hoffman is really one of the most tremendous actors of his generation. He’s not as sexy as, say, Edward Norton or Johnny Depp, but he has a presence every bit as commanding as theirs.
I’ve always thought he was especially powerful in scenes where he’s listening (with Jason Robards in Magnolia and Cameron Manheim in Happiness), and Capote takes this power he has as a listener – an observer, in this case – and runs with it.
And, yeah, far better than a biopic. What a great story about a strange man coming to terms with his own pettiness in the face of something horrifying. I loved how quiet, slow, and performance-driven it was.
The long shot when he visits Perry and * right before the hanging is fucking stunning.
I thought the picture was slightly flat overall, but man can Hoffman act. I hate noticing that a performance is amazing, as that tends to spoil the effect, but his ability to be Capote (who, admittedly, I can only recall seeing on film once or twice) gave me more than one series of shivers.
Seconded. He can take any role he’s given and elevate it to must-watch status. His bottom-feeding reporter in Red Dragon was second only to Hopkins in actor upgrade in the remake (only because Brian Cox’ Lecter was entirely unmenacing and IMO, Peterson and Norton were a wash), his self-loathing rock reporter in Almost Famous was pretty much the best part about that film. He was peerless in Boogie Nights and perfect in Scent of a Woman and The 25th Hour. The list goes on, excepting Patch Adams because that film (and the subhuman parasite it is about) is patently awful and repulsive, and Along Came Polly. Hey Philip, no more taking roles that Jack Black turned down, okay?
Just saw this. And as you guys are saying, some powerful stuff. Hoffman just completely nails the transformation Capote goes through. Like you said Tom, the slow development of it really makes it feel more powerful as it moves towards the enivitable conclusion.
Bill, he wasn’t playing just any self-loathing rock reporter in Almost Famous - he was playing LESTER FUCKING BANGS. Which, coincidentally, is the only reason I watched it.
He’s also the only watchable thing in Twister, and I love his weird little role in The Big Lebowski. I’d love to see him get a starring role in a Coen Brothers picture.
He’s also staggeringly good in Owning Mahoney, although the movie breaks my rule about never seeing a movie titled with the “Verbing Noun” pattern. Still, it’s a very low-key (and very low budget) based-on-a-true-story feature about a Canadian gambling addict. Minnie Driver is in it, but you should watch it anyway.
Yeah, Owning Mahowny (that’s right, with an h) is another movie that just completely revolves around Hoffman and he just completely carries the film. Plus, like you said, it has Driver in it, doing her best too look slightly frumpy and very 80s. The only thing that through me off were those weird police investigating scenes that seemed to have come from a different movie.
