It is a testament to the power of a great biopic that as you walk out of the movie you can only remember the performances of a few cast members. In "Ray" it was Jamie Foxx and Regina King. Here it's Catherine Keener as Truman Capote's best friend and soon to be sensational novelist Harper Lee, Clifton Collin's Jr. as the center of Capote's book and of his life murderer Perry, Chris Cooper as the wary KBI chief who hunts down Perry, and of course Phillip Seymor Hoffman not acting as but channeling brilliant novelist Truman Capote.
The movie focuses on how Capote went to Kansas to write an article for the New Yorker on a seemingly senseless family slaughter. He ended up spending 6 years of his life there to write the revolutionary masterpiece "In Cold Blood". A book that shows how the secret heart of America could be rotting away in peaceful little towns. The center of both the movie and the book (in spirit) is Capote's relationship with Perry. He bribes the warden for access with him, keeps him alive to write his story, then kills him for an ending to said story. He plays God and the knowledge of his horrendous act leads him to misery and ultimately a very early death. The movie is supported by observant writing and the best performances by any small ensemble this year.
When Truman Capote read that small article in the Kansas Times about the killing of the Clutter Family he had no idea that it would be the begining of the end for him. Oh, but what a beautiful end.
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