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'Capote': A mesmerizing dissection of the writer's artistic downfall
by Steve Murray

At a tony New York cocktail party, Southern-bred writer Truman Capote tells his friends, "I am honest about what I write about." Well, maybe he is about what he writes, but he's not exactly honest about how he goes about it, as we see in "Capote." Based on Gerald Clarke's biography, smartly adapted by actor-turned-screenwriter Dan Futterman, the film is a dissection of Capote's ruthless, cunning ambition as he pursues a great literary success that will, ironically, bring with it utter moral failure and the end of his creative gifts. Read the full review

TO SUM UP
In November, 1959, Truman Capote, the author of Breakfast at Tiffany's and a favorite figure in what would soon be known as the Jet Set, sees a news report about the murders of four members of a farm family in Kansas. It presents an opportunity, he believes, to test his long-held theory that, in the hands of the right writer, non-fiction can be as compelling as fiction. Capote attempts to charm the locals and work his way into the story behind the murders.

FILM FACTS ...

Sony Pictures Classics

'Capote'

Director: Bennett Miller
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Chris Cooper, Clifton Collins Jr., Bruce Greenwood
Run time: 98 minutes
Release date: Sept. 30, 2005
Rating: R for some violent images and brief strong language.
See showtimes

On the web
Official movie site
View the trailer
Trailers require Quicktime

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READ THE REVIEW

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: A-
"Hoffman makes us laugh out loud one moment, squirm the next as we watch the author do whatever it takes (lie, cry and sometimes both) to manipulate the prisoners into helping him finish his masterpiece."

Read the full review

Austin American-Statesman: 4 of 5 stars
"Many actors could have delivered fine imitations of the author's famously effete mannerisms; but Philip Seymour Hoffman makes these (the wounded-baby voice, the prissy hand gestures) merely a point of entry into the character — window-dressing that displays one view of the man's soul while hiding others."