Infamous

It's hard to watch Infamous without comparing it to the Oscar winning and nominated Capote of the previous year, but after a while I managed to switch my inner critic off and enjoy Infamous on its own merits. The plot is very similiar to Capote, dealing with his research and writing of the book 'In Cold Blood'. Two men, Perry Smith and Richard Hickcock, murder a family of four in Kansas and Truman Capote sees an opportunity of turning this tragedy into a best selling non-fiction novel. Aiding him in his research is Harper Lee, fresh from winning the Pulitzer Prize for 'To Kill A Mockingbird', and together they try to build up a picture of how a town copes with such brutal murders. Capote uses his charm and wit to ingratiate himself into the lives of this small Kansas town but, in terms of his book, he hits the jackpot when the two killers are caught and brought in. The relationship between Capote and the two killers, especially Perry Smith, becomes the central point of the film, both on both an emotional and psychological level. Does Capote really care for these two men or is he just using and manipulating them to get what he needs for his book? Probably a bit of both. Often a poignant scene between Capote and Perry Smith is followed by Capote relaying the information to his society friends back in New York as though it were a casual piece of gossip. The soundtrack is unusual. Often jaunty and upbeat, when out dining and partying with friends, then sombre and dark when is comes to the murders and the murderers. It's a nice juxtaposition and works well to make the dark darker and lightness of New York society seem frivolous and contrived. The cast is impressive, with Toby Jones, Daniel Craig, Sandra Bullock, Sigourney Weaver and Jeff Daniels all in excellent form. Jones and Craig in particular shine in their roles and the former can consider himself unlucky not to be at least nominated for an Oscar. I was dubious at first with Sandra Bullock being cast as Harper Lee but to her credit she gives a very measured performance. The direction, screenplay and cinematography are all very good, but again no Oscar nominations. It's a shame that Infamous should be overshadowed by the 2005 Capote, as it is both gripping and moving and offers a fascinating insight into a deeply complex and in some ways very troubled man. 8/10