Capote

Miller's film is strong in the details (the interviews with the killers, the final execution), but if it weren't for Hoffman, it would be just one among many, with nothing special or revelatory in terms of filmmaking or story. Capote himself is a guy I wouldn't go out for a beer with. His self-centred, manipulative and disgustingly pragmatic and cynical nature, often resorting to lies, is almost repulsive in places – it must have been a joy to play and such a beautifully written controversial character. The casting people should be applauded here, Hoffman's type - a mixture of loser and strong charisma - is quite ideal for such a role. He didn’t disappoint, he was great. (09/24/2006)

So, I've known for quite a while that Phillip Seymour Hoffman apparently can't be a descendant of humans, but of some sort of unearthly race. So I'll dispense with his (supernatural) acting... besides, he can't act any other way. The film Capote deftly adheres to that raw, realistic style typical of the central book of the main character. It manages to use the bleak atmosphere of the entire film to give certain scenes the power of a lightning bolt out of the blue. It doesn't move the camera or glorify. The film made me feel like the grim reaper was gliding behind the camera. It reeked of death and dying. (08/05/2011)

The picture concentrates exclusively on the period that inspired the writing of one of the most fundamental American books of the 20th century - “In Cold Blood", the origin of the factual novel as such. A book that brought its author immortality and at the same time brought his fall into perdition. The subject is certainly intriguing, but Capote was such a complex and fascinating personage that the rather narrow focus of the story was rather a shame. It’s downright disappointing that the result is utterly humdrum and uninventive in all respects. The only element that saves it is the excellent performance from Hoffman, deservedly rewarded by more than one acting award. His performance precisely captures all nooks and crannies of Truman Capote’s soul. From homosexuality, through arrogance, calculating cunning, egoism to his desperate desire to be admired. And a warning concerning the Czech dubbing. Capote’s peculiar voice was difficult enough in the original to get right, but Hoffman did a splendid job of it. But in the Czech dubbed version, this literary heavyweight sounds like a pitiful caricature of himself. (10/03/2007)

After In Cold Blood, I was definitely not in a good mood or I with peace in my soul. Capote added another dimension to the story, and it made those feelings even stronger. It's ugly, but that ugliness actually makes it an extremely interesting film that might not have been as good without Philip Seymour Hoffman, but that's a pointless musing. I would, however, also single out Catherine Keener, whose Harper Lee was the perfect human counterbalance to Truman Capote. (11/19/2023)

It’s too flat as a biography of a brilliant writer and too insubstantial as a film about a novel. In the film, Capote’s creative genius is limited to a few lame mentions of his previous work, and the actual creation of what is most substantial goes no further than what the viewer is able to form after reading "In Cold Blood" or watching Brooks' film of the same name. Phillip Seymour Hoffman's 100-minute homosexual creation thus becomes merely an aspirational pose that might have been provocative in the 1960s, but not today. The result is just an empty bubble, which at the time of its release got more flak than it perhaps deserved, and conversely, as a tribute to a brilliant storyteller, or rather a novel, it is about as impressive and original as a piece of marble. (05/06/2007)