Capote

Philip Seymour Hoffman most certainly earned his Oscar for this portrayal of Capote. It is a stunningly detailed and quietly powerful performance, depicting the intense impact that writing In Cold Blood had on the writer. This is a fascinating insight into how an author may become caught up, changed and in Capote’s case, morally compromised, by the story he is researching. The story of these horrific killings gets under your skin. I am still haunted by the scene where Capote inspects the bodies of the murdered family in their coffins, the heads covered with bright strips of cotton. In focussing on this critical six year period of Capote’s life, the film is more successful in conveying what really made him tick than the traditional biopic that tries to span an entire life from beginning to end.