Infamous
Director: Douglas Mcgrath
Palace Nova
Rated: M
Now screening


After raving about 'Capote', I doubted that another film covering similar territory would be as stirring - I was wrong. The story of the creation of 'In Cold Blood' and how it destroyed the creator is Greek tragedy and has been the subject of two books. Bennett Miller's film utilised Gerald Clarke's biography of Truman Capote as source material. Douglas McGrath's 'Infamous' relies on George Plimpton's biography and while they overlap, there is enough difference in interpretation and approach to give us a fresh take.

For those who missed the first film, 'Infamous' also tells the story of New York bon vivant and writer Truman Capote (Tobey Jones), creator of 'Breakfast At Tiffany's', friend to the stars, incurable gossip, narcissist and unabashedly gay. When Capote hears about the murder of a Kansas family, he decides that the story will form the basis of a new type of non-fiction novel or 'reportage"- the work that will confirm his greatness. Capote travels to Kansas with friend Harper Lee (Sandra Bullock) and ingratiates himself to the town folk including investigating detective Alvin Dewey (Jeff Daniels). When the murderers Dick Hickock (Lee Pace) and Perry Smith (Daniel Craig) are captured, Capote befriends the killers to collate their stories and give his book a new dimension not previously associated with the genre.

It's at this point where 'Capote' and 'Infamous' diverge. In the former, the focus is on how Capote manipulates Perry Smith in particular to coerce him to bare his soul. The bargain with Smith becomes Faustian and the author is broken by his own crime. In 'Infamous', Capote falls in love with Smith with whom he has startling similarities, including physical disability and maternal abandonment. Whereas in 'Capote' the author's torture can only be ended by death and publication, the Capote in 'Infamous' cannot bear Smith's loss. Indeed, the film accuses Capote of falsifying Smith's final words of contrition.

It's history now that Philip Seymour Hoffman got in first and won the Oscar. Lucky he did, as Toby Jones is also magnificent in the role. The differences in technique are fascinating. The taller Hoffman had to almost crouch into a stance and rely heavily on facial expression. The shorter Jones had no such restrictions and uses his whole body to great effect, giving the character more of the author's trademark flamboyance and humour. Bullock is fine and the supporting cast includes luminaries such as Sigourney Weaver, Gwyneth Paltrow and Peter Bogdanovich. However, it is Craig who steals the film, with a performance that dovetails seamlessly with Robert Blake's Smith in the 1967 film of the novel.

So now we are blessed with the film of the novel and two great films about the creation of the novel. Forget 'Star Wars', this is the ultimate DVD set.

Mal Byrne