Infamous (2006)
Director: Douglas McGrath
Synopsis
An account
of author Truman Capote’s investigation into the murder of a
Movie review
From Time Out London
It’s less than fortunate and maybe disastrous for its makers that ‘Infamous’ is the second film on Truman Capote to emerge in a year. It’s also bad luck that ‘Infamous’ treads the same ground as ‘Capote’, only less steadily. There are plus points: British actor Toby Jones rivals Hoffman for intelligent mimicry and the film’s reliance on the first-person testimonies of George Plimpton’s biography allows for camp talking-head turns from Sandra Bullock as Harper Lee and Sigourney Weaver, Hope Davis and Peter Bogdanovich as members of the writer’s Manhattan coterie. But in its focus on the writing of ‘In Cold Blood’ and Capote’s curious motives for completing that work, ‘Infamous’ haunts the same territory as ‘Capote’. Its screenplay by writer-director Douglas McGrath is bolder in its assumptions: McGrath’s Capote even steals a kiss from Daniel Craig’s Perry Smith. But this same boldness is to the film’s detriment. All that was painted grey in ‘Capote’ becomes black-and-white. Still, it’s worth catching for Jones’ film-stealing turn alone.Author: Dave Calhoun
Time Out London Issue 1900: January 17-24 2007
Cast & crew
Director: Douglas McGrath
Producer: Christine Vachon, Jocelyn Hayes, Anne Walker-McBay
Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Sandra Bullock, Toby Jones, Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Daniels, Daniel Craig, Isabella Rossellini, Peter Bogdanovich, Hope Davis, Juliet Stevenson full cast
Genre(s): Drama
Duration: 118 mins
Most popular on this site
Features
Chicago International Film Festival preview
Mark Ruffalo cons us into liking The Brothers Bloom, plus early tips on films and surviving the fest.
Chain gang
Miranda July's "video chain letters" for women filmmakers get some respect at the Siskel.
Mister nice guy
Greg Kinnear brings his affability to a flawed hero.
Radical visions
British filmmaker Derek Jarman gets a much-deserved reconsideration at the Siskel Film Center.
Toronto International Film Festival
The Wrestler aside, the least-hyped films at Toronto were the most exciting.
Summer school
Six lessons we learned at the multiplex this summer.
Head trip
Fall preview: Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York is one of the most mind-bending films of the season.



What do you think?
Post your review now