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Lately, it seems as though Hollywood has decided to release the same movie over and over and over, hoping that audiences won’t notice. So when I heard that another film about Truman Capote and the writing of In Cold Blood was coming out, I can’t say that I was surprised. I did, however, feel bad for the filmmakers, knowing that theirs would be an uphill battle—attempting to follow such an award-winning, critically-acclaimed film. But, as it turns out, these filmmakers have nothing to worry about.
Infamous tells the story of Truman Capote (played by Toby Jones) and his obsession with a murder case in a small town in Kansas, where a family of four was found brutally murdered in their home. The fabulously flamboyant New York writer leaves his high-society friends behind and convinces his oldest and dearest friend, Nelle Harper Lee (Sandra Bullock)—who’s just finished her book, To Kill a Mockingbird—to join him in traveling to Kansas, so he can write about the case. Once here, he becomes more and more fascinated with the story, and he decides that it deserves so much more than just a magazine article. Instead, he’ll turn it into his next book.
Just as Capote is finishing up the last of his fact-finding, the killers are caught—so he stays in Kansas to try to get the killers to talk to him. One, Dick Hickock (Lee Pace), opens up right away, confessing to every last detail. But Perry Smith (Daniel Craig), the darker and more mysterious of the two killers, refuses to talk—making Capote even more intrigued. And it’s only when Capote is willing to open up and be completely honest that Smith is willing to do the same.
Right from the opening scene, with a breathtaking performance by a lounge-singing Gwyneth Paltrow, Infamous is absolutely mesmerizing. Toby Jones brings the story to life with his portrayal of Capote. He’s so magnetic and so full of life that he practically jumps off the screen—and he makes it easy to see why the most fabulous of high-society women would be thrilled to be friends with him. He also manages to clearly depict Capote as a sensitive, almost childlike character, who becomes so connected to his work—and, eventually, his relationship with Perry Smith—that audiences will understand why he never really wrote again.
Sandra Bullock couldn’t be a better fit as Harper Lee, the quiet, tomboyish, and lovable Southern girl who was Capote’s childhood friend. The two make an unusual pair—just as I’m sure the real-life Capote and Lee did—but they work so well together.
There’s just so much to love about this film—so don’t make the mistake of passing on Infamous just because you’ve already heard the story. Besides the spectacular performances by a long and impressive cast listing, it’s also beautifully done, with a spell-binding story that’s sure to keep you captivated until the end—even if you’ve heard it all before.
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