Capote

Under the assumption that there were thousands of dollars hidden in the house, their motive was money. Their actual monetary yield was US$50.

The aftermath of their actions was four dead members of the Clutter family. The murders shook the town of Holcomb, but didn't make much of an impact outside the area. The story was pushed to the back of most North American newspapers. People would read about it, react briefly and move on.

Flamboyant writer Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who read about the murders in The New York Times, would be an exception. Smelling an opportunity to write a non-fiction novel that would be as riveting as fiction, and one that, in his words, would change the face of journalism forever, Capote set out to Kansas to begin his research.

His work eventually became the iconic novel - and superb 1967 motion picture - In Cold Blood, which did change journalism as we know it and, when all was said and done, helped the vicious act of Smith and Hickock claim one more victim years after they had been executed for their heinous act: Capote himself.

Once the persuasive and manipulative dandy of what would come to be the Jet Set in New York City, Capote never wrote another fiction novel again after In Cold Blood, and his escalating alcohol use in the following years would help end his life in 1984.

Based on the novels The Journalist and the Murderer by Janet Malcolm and Capote: A Biography by Gerald Clarke, Bennett Miller's extraordinary drama Capote chronicles the researching and writing period of Capote's novel and the devastating effects the process had on the writer, his subjects and those closest to him in the process.

Dan Futterman's screenplay is a finely detailed cautionary tale of what happens when a writer gets too close their subject and unwillingly becomes part of the story, while Miller, displaying the type of controlled, assured directorial hand that is usually associated with a seasoned helmer (this is only his second film following the 1998 documentary, The Cruise), does a remarkable job pulling the viewer slowly but seductively into a uncomfortable, unsettling but fascinating world.

In most biopics (think Ray), your main character, and subject, is portrayed as a decent but flawed person who triumphs over adversity in the end. They do things that you may not approve of, but in the end you like them just the same. Capote is different. Miller and Futterman infuse Capote, both the character and film, with a level of brutal, welcome honesty and complexity. The Capote of this film is a shameless, egotistical self-promoter who manipulated and used those around him to achieve literary glory, but one that also found himself struggling with the growing level of compassion within for the condemned murderer Perry.

It's a complex character balance that is developed successfully by the writer and director, and carried on by the remarkable Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is this year's sure bet to win the Oscar for Best Actor. The talented actor disappears into the role of the flamboyant writer with such ease that, much like last year's award-winning turn by Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles, we forget that we are watching an actor and not the real deal. Hoffman captures Capote's manoeuvring, arrogance, internal conflict and eventual fall from grace with such professionalism that he makes it look easy. In a young career full of great performances, this is Hoffman's best work yet.

Superb acting support comes from Catherine Keener as To Kill A Mockingbird writer Harper Lee, Capote's best friend and moral support, Collins and Pellegrino as the condemned murders, Bruce Greenwood as Capote's companion Jack Dunphy and Chris Cooper as Alvin Dewey, the local FBI agent leading the murder investigation. While Keener was recognised with a Best Supporting Actress nomination, Collins sadly was not - a shame.

Truman Capote was a great writer, In Cold Blood was a great book and Capote is one of 2005's cinematic greats.

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