Daniel Craig, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hope Davis

What starts out as the irreverent journey of the openly gay writer Truman Capote to the middle-class world of 1950's Kansas, where he goes -- with his childhood friend Harper Lee -- to research the mu...( read more  read more... )rder of the Clutter family, turns to something altogether darker when Capote forms an intense and complex relationship with one of the murderers. In doing so, he produced his greatest work, 'In Cold Blood,' but at a devastating personal cost.

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59% liked it

15,564 ratings

Critics

71% liked it

143 critics

R, 1 hr. 58 min.

Directed by: Douglas McGrath

Release Date: October 13, 2006

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DVD Release Date: February 13, 2007

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Flixster Reviews (855)


  • December 13, 2008
    Infamous is the account of Truman Capote's research in writing the book In Cold Blood. I said Infamous, not Capote and it's Toby Jones not Philip Seymour Hoffman playing the larger than life writer.

    It's amazing to watch to different takes on the same story. Whereas Capote was ...( read more)more of a darker film Infamous is more lighthearted as the relationship between Capote and Perry Smith (Daniel Craig-yes, James Bond).

    Infamous has some very good acting in it with Jones pulling off a Capote that is as equal as Hoffman's. The real surprise was Sandra Bullock as Harper Lee. In this film Bullock has gotten away from the pseudo action pictures and chick flick crap she usually frequents. A real stand out performance.

    The main problem with Infamous is how the story unfolds. As the tale continues to unwind before you the audiences is suddenly hit with a Larry Kingish testimonial on what happened and what it meant totally destroying the flow of the film. Compare it to pulling the emergency brake on a train that doesn't stop at Tucom Cari causing the once peaceful and moving train to come to a violent halt. A total distraction.

    At the end of the Capote vs. Capote match I have to go with Capote. Infamous is a decent film with some good performances (Bullock's being the best) it has the feel of a made for TV film, which isn't a good thing.
  • December 1, 2008
    Just as good as its more acclaimed and popular counterpart, though a lot less somber and emotional. Toby Jones looks more like the author, his performance is correct, but it pales before Philip Seymour Hoffman's.
    Daniel Craig's rendition of Perry Smith is outstanding.
  • October 14, 2008
    ''So you think your book is worth a human life?''

    While researching his book In Cold Blood, writer Truman Capote (Jones) develops a close relationship with convicted murderers Dick Hickock and Perry Smith.

    Toby Jones: Truman Capote

    Douglas McGrath, the Director ...( read more)of Infamous feels the need to grace us with this insight into Truman Capote's point of life just before and during the creation of his controversial book ''In Cold Blood''. I have yet to see the seemingly appearing superior Capote featuring Philip Seymour Hoffman, but Infamous despite having a star lit cast didn't quite have a cutting edge.

    Granted it has it's moments, dry humour mixed with that lacy sarcasm that Capote always possessed. It has characters talking in a like documentary interview style which sometimes annoyed me somewhat.
    Infamous actually succeeds in being emotional in one or two scenes. Especially ones where Capote and Perry Smith are together.

    ''Do you think everyone keeps calling me lady to be mean, or can they honestly not tell?''

    Performances range from standard fare to mediocre to above average.
    Toby Jones as Truman Capote, seems to be such a small enigmatic portrayal on his part. Having seen him in City Of Ember the other day, this character couldn't be further from the previous one. He's openly gay, sneaky, sarcastic and resembles and sounds like a little old lady from Kansas. All that being said it's not a bad thing because it makes the character of Capote that bit more interesting to us the audience.
    Another performance that really should be mentioned 2nd to Toby is that of Daniel Craig.

    Craig plays Perry Smith one of the Murderers behind the Cutter incident. He's the most stand out character here besides Capote who has depth and believability. Craig even went as far as to have brown contacts, tattoos, and dark hair to completely absorb himself into the role.

    Whats even more interesting is the relationship that evolves between writer and subject. A relationship that turns into an understanding, and a love that is tragically not meant to last, which is cruelly ripped away by higher powers. Let's not forget that this Perry is an intelligent man, a reflective soul who's had unfortunate things happen in his life that have led up to this act of great desperation. He's not innocent but that doesn't mean he's not sorry.
    Other performances are more like extended cameos from a range of Stars including Gwyneth Paltrow who pops up near the beginning, Isabella Rossellini, Jeff Daniels, Lee Pace, Peter Bogdanovich, Hope Davis and Sandra Bullock.

    ''To the lucky person who has never heard it, I can only say: imagine what a brussel sprout would sound like, if a brussel sprout could talk.''

    This Infamous not only tells of the perspective of punishment, the morals behind law and crime, and the decline of a Writer lost in his efforts to complete his book. He falls in love, and vice versa, which also leads to the tragedy of losing this new found love. Infamous tells of the strange, the pragmatic, and the surreal confines of a mind, which at first is in it for self gratification but then wants to redeem his subject, his anti-hero and protagonist.

    It's very clever in places if what sometimes annoying, Infamous to me could use some editing and an ending more in tune with shocking and causing something memorable with viewers as opposed to just cutting it short with more interview type proceedings. Worth a watch, and it's renewed my interest in seeing the latter, Capote whom I saw Philip win best Actor a while ago.
    Toby Jones is more comical than believable in his portrayal.

    ''Who says I'm strange?''
  • July 13, 2008
    Jones gives a convincing turn as Capote but the starry supporting cast distract from the story. Craig in particular is a mistake.
  • December 25, 2007
    This is a film that is going to be consistently overlooked because it deals with basically the exact same subject matter as the highly acclaimed Capote - they were being made around the same time but the makers of Capote were just lucky enough to get their film out first. Althoug...( read more)h both films share essentially the same story (although with significant variations): writer Truman Capote's writing of the novel In Cold Blood based on the brutal murders of a Kansas family - the films do diverge a good deal because they are based on different books about Capote's journey. While Capote was marked by somberness and dramatic weight, Infamous gives us a much more lighthearted, brightly coloured take on the story; though Infamous does get down to serious business when it needs to, and does it very well. Toby Jones plays Capote (an actor who I've gotten very interested in after seeing him in The Mist and now this) and does a marvelous job. Comparing his performance to Philip Seymour Hoffman's powerful turn in Capote would be foolish - because Jones takes a different route in portraying Capote and I think it`s just as brilliant a performance, just different; Jones has extremely moving dramatic moments here, too, and it really doesn't hurt that Jones naturally looks a lot more like Capote than Hoffman (the resemblance is actually very striking if you look at pictures of a younger Truman Capote). Just as in comparing the performances of the lead actors, comparing the two films would be folly because they are adaptations of different books and because they differ so much in style and tone - it's much better to appreciate both interpretations for what they are, as both are very good films. I think what surprised me most, though, is that Infamous joins the very short list of films in which Sandra Bullock does not annoy the hell out of me; she is actually very good here, playing Nelle Harper Lee with a straight-edged sincerity that is highly appropriate. Daniel Craig seems to channel Robert Blake's amazing portrayal of Perry Smith in the 1967 adaptation of In Cold Blood and does a great job. The rest of the cast is good also but doesn't stand out as much as these three. In the end, Infamous is a very worthy take on this story that shouldn't be overlooked as much as it has.
  • October 29, 2009
    An intense movie, but ultimately not my preferred choice. Since I don't know anything about Capote or his works, I can't really give a fair comment on how accurate this story is.
  • October 23, 2009
    WAAAAY better then Capote
  • October 2, 2009
    it was not to bad ....
  • July 14, 2009
    Toby Jones really incorporated Capote....really good!
  • July 12, 2009
    Less of a biopic and more of an homage. It's fine, but it doesn't even come close to the brilliance and elegance of CAPOTE.

Critic Reviews


November 6, 2006
Pete Hammond, Maxim

It its another 'Truman' show you want, Infamous certainly will fill you up. full review

October 17, 2006
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

Jones gets everything -- the gestures, the generosity, the mean streak, the bending of the ear to recitals of woe, whether across a lunch table or a prison cell. full review

October 13, 2006
Claudia Puig, USA Today

It's a stellar cast, but you can't help but lament the bad timing. full review

October 13, 2006
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

Infamous is quietly stolen by Sandra Bullock as Harper Lee. full review

October 13, 2006
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

[With Hoffman], it was easy to see Capote as someone truly extraordinary, perhaps a genius. Toby Jones... doesn't have that quality, though he does offer something almost as good: Watching him it's ea... full review

October 13, 2006
Kurt Loder, MTV

It's a movie that deserves to be considered not just in comparison to the excellent "Capote," but on its own merits, which are substantial. full review

October 12, 2006
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Far from vanishing in its predecessor's wake, Infamous demonstrates how a potent story can inspire distinctly different interpretations. full review

October 12, 2006
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

There is no reason to choose between Bennett Miller's Capote, which came out almost exactly a year ago, and Douglas McGrath's Infamous, which opens today... Both stand out above the biopic pack.

October 9, 2006
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Neither movie [about Capote] gives you the whole picture, but it's fun to see them both and rearrange the pieces in your head. full review

October 5, 2006
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Jones looks more like the small, impish Capote than Hoffman does -- he has the nasal whine down pat -- but his performance fails to cut as deep into the complexities of the man. Neither does the movie. full review

View more Infamous reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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