Editorial Review:

Product Description:
While researching his book in cold blood writer truman capote develops a close friendship with convicted murderers dick hickock & perry smith. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 04/15/2008 Starring: Sigourney Weaver Sandra Bullock Run time: 118 minutes Rating: R

Amazon.com:
Infamous is inevitably compared to Capote, since it also chronicles author Truman Capote's spiral into chaos while composing his masterpiece, In Cold Blood, a breakthrough non-fictional tale told as fiction. It's a shame that Capote's critical acclaim eclipsed this film's, as Toby Jones is perfectly convincing as Capote, with his small stature and eccentric manner. Infamous mimics the novel's fictionalized non-fiction, opening on "interviews" with Capote's New York friends like Diana Vreeland (Juliet Stevenson) and Babe Paley (Sigourney Weaver). The film, set in 1959, begins with Capote's discovery of the farm family murder story and his trek out to Kansas with confidant, Nelle Harper Lee (Sandra Bullock). Stressing Capote's relationships with Lee, the film justifies Capote's marginal behavior by Lee's speaking about Capote's childhood neglect, which she also wrote into To Kill A Mockingbird. Capote's own description of his rough childhood then serves as a barrier breaker between himself and Perry Smith (Daniel Craig), the half of the Perry Smith-Dick Hickock killing team who is at first unwilling to talk. Infamous makes much of the sexual tension between Capote and Smith, implying that Capote persevered through his project for Smith's love. Based on George Plimpton's oral biography, Infamous deserves a stellar place in Capote-lore, as there is ample room for both competing films. --Trinie Dalton

Interesting movie, Toby Jones is an actor to be compared with Anthony Hopkins in talent and most any movie he is in will be great. Also the movie A Harlot's Progress is just riveting.

Average Rating:

Rating: - Infamous
Interesting movie, Toby Jones is an actor to be compared with Anthony Hopkins in talent and most any movie he is in will be great. Also the movie A Harlot's Progress is just riveting.

Rating: - Better than the other one
I couldn't get through the more highly acclaimed "Capote" the first time I tried. But I had no trouble with this one which nicely tells the "In Cold Blood" story. Nice cinematography. This actor as Capote is every bit the equal of Philip Seymour Hoffman's, I think. Watch it if you are into literary bio-pics. Compare it to its rival. It's worth watching both, and I did.

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Rating: - And the winner is...
I'll just add my voice to those who found this a superior film to the earlier 'Capote.' It is more robust, well-rounded, and more interesting than the latter. This film is truly a 'film' and does not pretend to 'document' the story of Capote and the writing of the famous book. There is more opportunity to see the range of dynamics at work intrapsychically as Capote displays contradictory and complex feelings toward his subject. It is also aesethetically more original--one can see the artist/writer/director at work here, shaping the story, rather than allowing the original story, i.e., that of Capote researching and writing the book, shape it.

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Rating: - THE BEST OF THE "CAPOTE TWINS"
Of "The Two Mr. Capotes" (the other being the more commercially popular "Capote", released at the same time last year), this is definitely the best one. While Phillip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal may have been Oscar-worthy, Toby Jones really brings the pain here - the mincing walk, overdone eye gestures, and chalkboard-grating high voice are dead on. Plus, you get the feel of his relationship with what were then "true socialites", Babe Paley (Sigourney Weaver), Slim Keith (Hope Davis) and Marella Agnelli (Isabella Rossellini), who kept it real by keeping their designer clothes on. (Paris and Nicky Hilton could learn something about self-respect and dignity from just watching this film!) The most scandalous thing that they appeared to have done was kick off their pumps and do the "Twist" to the sounds of Chubby Checker!

Capote's murder masterpiece "In Cold Blood" was the very first "true crime novel" that I ever read. It was chilling in a way that no other written account of a murder has been able to duplicate since. In this film, one not only gets an accurate account of the crime, you also get a look into the angst of the writer and what it must be like to be that close to such a heinous deed. Truman Capote's later mental decline, substance abuse, and fall from society's fickle grace was not just the result of his inability to match this book, but from the unstable and dysfunctional life he had even before this, "Breakfast at Tiffany's", and his other fabulous works.

Sandra Bullock gives a stunning turn as Truman's childhood friend, writer Nell Harper Lee. And David Craig's portrayal as killer Perry Smith is sympathetic and pathetic and raw. You find yourself wishing that this was a work of fiction so that this time he wouldn't be executed.

If all you know about Mr. Capote involves a disco ball, Andy Warhol, and Studio 54, watch this film before you watch anything else written or filmed about him. The only other story about his life that really gives you a look into the man is "in Cold Blood". Now that's scary!

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Rating: - More Complelling Than "Capote"
Comparions to Hoffman's Capote are inevitable given the proximity of the two releases as well as the fact the two films deal with exactly the same subject. "Capote" painted broader strokes while "Infamous" was somewhat more specific. Lastly, Toby Jones was simply overshadowed by the more popular, Phillip Seymour Hoffman,

I vividly remember Truman Capote on the TV talk-show circuit and Toby captured the same deliberately profound annoyance that Capote seemed to wallow in. I read "In Cold Blood" in high school and it was indeed an excellent book - quite well-written, though chilling in its subject matter as well as the treatment. But as a personality, Truman was a most uncomfortable sight - I readily admit that my being a black, gay teenager certainly colored (no pun intended) my perceptions. Tennesse Williams & James Baldwin, both gay literary contemporaries of Capote were equally uncomfortable, (and equally talented/troubled).

"Infamous" deals most intimately with Capote's relationship with Perry while researching and writing "In Cold Blood". The performances of Jones & Daniel Craig are at the core of the movie. Their performances are wrenching and give the implications the movie makes enormous credibility. Sandra Bullock as Harper Lee, the author of 'To Kill A Mockingbird" (another classic) is simply wonderful. Quite frankly, it is some of the best work I have ever seen from her.

Even more interesting is that this particular perspective of the machinations behind the famous novel still take a back seat to a much more intimate situation lots of people find themselves in but that is rarely so beautifully addressed.

It is this aspect of the movie that made the biggest impression upon me.

In the beginning, it is obvious Capote is totally opportunistic in his quest to actually interview one of the killers. His book is his focal point. The film wonderully suggests that Capote was just as shocked (and pleased) to realize he cared deeply for Perry - and Perry for him. And this was not an easy road for either to travel. More importanly, the evolution of their relationship was not based on their sexuality.

This is a classic example of individual instances (quite common) where a gay/lesbian person forges a close relationship with someone straight - both sides initially having serious apprehensions about the other, only to have this complicated with genuine feelings developing on both sides. The inevitable result is that neither side knows quite how to deal with those genuine feelings. After wading through all the mud, the lesson learned is that two people, if they allow themselves to, can forget race, color, age, economics, gender, or any other useless category and simply allow themselves to genuinely care about each other. (yeah, it went there for me)

I mean to take nothing away from Hoffman's "Capote". Both films provide insight; they present two alternative perspectives and I highly recommend both projects.

It is simply that as an art form 'Infamous" more closely meets the general objective I believe all art forms aspire to - to open/elevate the dialogue.

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