Review of Capote (2005) by Erics — 11 May 2006

I may be one of the few people who thought Capote was infinitely better than Brokeback Mountain. Much praise has been given to Hoffman and the rest of the cast, all deserved, but the director and screenwriter deserve equal credit.

Futterman and Miller paint a believable picture of a man who puts on acts to disguise his loneliness. It would have been easy to focus on only one aspect of Truman Capote's character, pushing the others to the side, but instead the filmmakers choose the harder way, and the end result is a brilliant and memorable character study.

Of course, the other characters are also fleshed out. While it may be tempting to think of them as foils for Capote, some of the things they say and do clearly define them as three-dimensional characters.

Finally, the film provides a balanced look at the death penalty that just may cause you to rethink some of your opinions. In an industry permeated by heavy-handed, tearjerker films (many of which are nominated for best picture), it refreshing to see one that brings up an issue and lets the viewer draw their own conclusions.

Capotes ambivalent yet deep relationship with Smith (one of the killer) sends a seemingly clear message against the death penalty. Then, as you begin to sympathize with the characters plight, the film flashes back to the brutal murder of the Clutter family, causing one to rethink the issue yet again.

In the end, the audience is left to judge issue, and I personally believe that a movie that provokes thought is better than one that grinds its viewpoint in your face. Capote is a masterpiece of a film that everyone should see, whether they are familiar with the people and events it describes or not.