Infamous
DVD 
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Director:
Douglas McGrath Actors: Toby Jones Daniel Craig Sandra Bullock Rating:
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WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
Ostentatious author Truman Capote (Jones) visits a small Kansas town to investigate the events that would ultimately become his prominent (and final) book “In Cold Blood”. During the course of his research, Capote has countless meals with a variety of simple folk and socialites, and makes a romantic connection with convicted murderer Perry Smith (Craig). Hey, this all sounds familiar...
IS IT A GOOD MOVIE?
Comparisons to that other film and performance that won an Oscar for Philip Seymour Hoffman are inevitable, but INFAMOUS (and Jones, a flawless embodiment of the author) focuses more on Capote’s social life, and the impact his effeminate mannerisms and extravagant attire have when introduced to traditional Midwest surroundings.
As depicted by Jones and filmmaker Douglas McGrath, Capote is impish and neurotic and emotionally vulnerable, but affable and often quite comical -- he generally finds himself at the center of attention, a situation he casually creates. And while the subject matter does eventually take a dark turn (no matter how fictionalized the details are in INFAMOUS, Capote's story itself does revolve around the massacre of a family during a botched robbery), the film holds a more playful tone through most of the running time.
Fortunately Jones doesn’t overwhelm the secondary players, because he mainly interacts with experienced and engaging actors like Sigourney Weaver, Hope Davis, Jeff Daniels, and particularly Sandra Bullock as his friend and confidante Harper Lee. (INFAMOUS does incorporate one of my personal pet peeves – “interviews” with real-life people being portrayed by famous actors, a device I typically find more distracting than beneficial.) Craig is quite effective in a very unglamorous role as the seemingly conflicted killer who unintentionally entices Capote – their scenes together are unsurprisingly the film’s most captivating. THE EXTRAS
The Theatrical Trailer and a commentary track by writer-director Douglas McGrath, who discusses his approach to the material and gives some insight on the author (some of which is quite clearly conjecture).
FINAL DIAGNOSIS
While it will no doubt feel familiar to those who already saw CAPOTE (or those already interested in the author and his work), INFAMOUS follows its own path, bolstered by a quality supporting cast and a breakthrough performance by Toby Jones.
