Capote (2005)

The untimely passing of Philip Seymour Hoffman was one that shocked the world over, the hearts of so many were beautifully opened in tribute to someone who may just be the finest screen actor of his generation. I was devastated to discover that one of my favourite actors was no longer with us, especially as I thought his best was still yet to come. Hoffman was transitioning into directing and his acclaim throughout all fields had him shaping up to become somewhat of a modern-day Orson Welles. But the body of work he has left us with is rich in towering performances, among some of my favourites are his collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson, a true genius and maestro of modern cinema, I have a particular adoration of 'Boogie Nights' and 'Punch-Drunk Love'. 'Capote' is statistically Hoffman's finest hour, it's the role that won him his sole Academy Award and it was thoroughly deserved. Simply put, Hoffman carries the entire film on his shoulders with one of the greatest biographical performances I've ever seen. After watching the film I took it upon myself to watch clips of the real Truman Capote, Hoffman's portrayal is more than just uncanny, he IS Truman Capote. The voice, the mannerisms, the facial expressions, I don't know how Hoffman did it but as an actor myself I can't help but adore the fact that he did. The film's story concerns the process of Truman Capote penning what stands as his most acclaimed work, 'In Cold Blood', a unique non-fiction book that is widely regarded as having started the true crime genre of literature, or at the very least popularizing it. The idea of this genre is a book that uses fiction techniques to craft a narrative around actual criminal acts that have happened, using real names and interviews but arranging the facts in such a way that they tell a story. You may be familiar with the use of such methods in Asif Kapadia's acclaimed 2009 documentary 'Senna', which portrayed the life and death of Formula One legend Ayrton Senna using entirely archive footage, but still crafting a narrative. When I say Hoffman carries this film though, I really mean it. Unfortunately I didn't feel like it was anything special outside of his performance, the supporting cast were fine but I'm somewhat confused as to why Catherine Keener received an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' author Harper Lee. The real thing that holds the film back though is the painfully uneven pacing, on the one hand, the scenes don't develop enough, we are rapidly whisked from location to location without being given any time to immerse ourselves in the narrative. But the isolated scenes aren't the only problem, the film as a whole feels far too long and whilst it does have an ending that packs an emotional punch, we're too exhausted from unnecessary over plotting to care all that much. "Speed up, slow down" pacing is almost always a deathtrap for a film. There isn't really much else to say about the film, it doesn't deal with anything too complex, it's less about narrative and themes as it is about Truman Capote and his methodology. I recommend this to anyone who's a fan of Hoffman's work though, it demonstrates his versatility just as well as any other film. Not the best in his library, but certainly one of his strongest performances and one that will only make you appreciate the man's talent even more, 'Capote' is definitely something you should devote your time to, who knows? You may even fall in love with it.