Infamous
Written & directed by Douglas McGrath.
Starring Toby Jones, Sandra Bullock,
Daniel Craig, Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Daniels.
It's impossible to review Infamous without comparing it to Capote, with both films depicting the period of iconic author Truman Capote's life during the writing of his most famous work, In Cold Blood. As unfortunate and bizarre as it is for Infamous to be released merely a year after the Academy Awarding-winning Capote, besides plot, these are two very different films and awareness ofthe former makes for a unique viewing experience.
By comparison, Infamous is a much lighter, funnier, colourful, palatable (dare I say "mainstream"?) film. Where Capote used wide, cold landscapes to create a dark, haunting atmosphere, for the most part Infamous's atmosphere is as flamboyant, bright, colourful and social as the film's protagonist. Capote is seen gossipping like a schoolgirl with his high-society New York gal pals (Sigourney Weaver, Hope Davis and Isabella Rosselini) on countless occasions, dressing in feminine clothing and constantly bearing the brunt of gay jokes (people keep calling him "ma'am").
The film takes its structure from George Plimpton's book Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career, featuring on-camera interviews with real people (played by actors, of course) from Truman Capote's life. While some of the testimonials are insightful, it is disappointing that this formula is required to hold the film together (the low point is when Perry Smith (Daniel Craig) jarringly and unnecessarily reads his letters to Capote directly to camera).
It's easy to buy into Toby Jones's performance as Truman Capote (mainly because we all have no idea who the hell Toby Jones is) and he certainly fits the diminutive physicality of the character. Sandra Bullock is a standout as Capote's confidante Nelle Harper Lee and Daniel Craig is solid as the death-row murderer Perry Smith, who shares a strange friendship with Truman. Jeff Daniels is unfortunately underused as local policeman Alvin Dewey. Despite the film's good performances the script fails to develop the characters to their full potential.
Where Dan Futterman's script for Capote was beautiful in its silent inferences and measured dialogue, writer/director Douglas McGrath's script is full of cheap talk, over-emphasizing Capote's untrustworthiness as he gossips incessantly, with the effect that by the last act, words that should have been powerful are rendered meaningless. McGrath's exploration of the possibility of a homosexual relationship between Capote and Smith does nothing for the film's credibility; in fact,it adds to the audience's distrust of the accuracy of the events presented.
Infamous is a well-acted, colourful film, at home somewhere between Sex and the City and The Green Mile. It's is an entertaining and informative film, but in the end suffers in the shadow cast by Capote, which is simply a technically superior film. For those who have seen already Capote, Infamous is still a fascinating exercise in comparison and evidencing the importance of the writer and director in shaping a film… Or you can avoid it, because Capote is better.
3 Stars
Kate Conroy
