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I wasn't planning on seeing this story of Truman Capote because I had already gotten my (much enjoyed) fill of his story from the movie Capote and from reading his novel. I had a hard time envisioning Toby Jones as Mr. Capote as well. But, good reviews won me over and I checked it out. In the end, I think I'm glad I did.

If you're wondering why two movies came out about the same thing at almost the same time, it's only because they both feature the same man. In fact, they are different movies with different focuses. While the first really seems to capture the essence of the story of In Cold Blood, I think this one captures the essence of Capote himself, and his relationship with Perry Smith is looked at more deeply. Not to say that Philip Seymour Hoffman didn't deserve his Oscar OR that Infamous is a truer depiction of Capote's story.

Douglas McGrath wrote the screenplay for Infamous, and just as Capote himself took true events and brought his own light and color to them, McGrath takes facts and messes with them a bit more to give his theories on Capote's true emotions. Psychologically, this is a more interesting movie because of the capote/Smith dynamic. McGrath takes a look at the effects of Smith's death on Capote. If you listen to the commentary, it's quite interesting.

However, structurally I find this movie more flawed. While the sets and costumes are beautiful and there is a stunning cast (Toby Jones, Daniel Craig, Sigourney Weaver, Isabella Rossellini, Gwyneth Paltrow, Juliet Stevenson, Hope Davis, and a suprisingly refreshing Sandra Bullock as Harper Lee), the way it's set up is sometimes irritating. I felt like the story didn't really begin until Truman and Harper set forth towards Kansas. Truman's social friends are definitely an important aspect of who he is, but the way in which the movie introduces them is irritating - through mock interviews (even with titles on the screen that introduce who they are), sort of like a documentary. This structure begins the movie and seems to be resorted to when the story needs explaining that isn't able to be easily conveyed through normal acting (see also: narration in Flags of Our Fathers). Honestly, every time the movie broke to these moments, I lost interest and felt jerked out of the more genuine emotions that were being conveyed by Jones himself.

I'd also like to note that Daniel Craig is proving to be much more promising than I had expected. I liked him in Layer Cake, Munich, and Casino Royale, but never pegged him for a deeper role like he has in Infamous. His portrayal of Perry Smith is dead-on, and he's actually almost unrecognizable at first because of his changed hair and eye color. The psychology of Perry Smith is an interesting one, and Craig is able to handle the many aspects of his personality, being a scary criminal, a victim of poor upbringing, and a man who could draw in the love of a prominent author.

All in all, I'm very glad to have given this one a chance. While it has its flaws, I think the performances of the main characters make it worthwhile, as well as McGrath's interesting perspective on Capote's personal life.

Phew! And with that, I just might be ready to start up my Best Of list for 2006. Haha. I just remembered the other day that I never put it together.