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Ettie Martinetti says...

Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" was hailed as a "non-fiction novel"; Richard Brooks' film adaptation is a semi-documentary film.Brooks doesn't sensationalize, however; the blood and gore of four horrible murders is kept to a bare minimum.We hear the gunshots but we don't see the carnage, and we don't need to; the power of suggestion does it all.Brooks keeps the movie strictly on track, from the night of the murder to the discovery of the crime the next morning; the killers' flight across country and the investigation by the detectives of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation which solved the crime and brought the perpetrators to justice.

The actors are all competent in their roles and there are some very good performances indeed in the supporting parts.But the outstanding performance in this film is Robert Blake as Perry Smith, and to a lesser extent, Scott Wilson as Dick Hickock.Blake's haunted expression as he says, right before his hanging, "I'd like to apologize.But who to?" makes the viewer feel all the tragedy of a wasted life.

The one problem with this otherwise fine screen adaptation is that we see far too little of the Clutters.We don't get to know them as people, their lives, how they interact.They're just people who get murdered one night.In the book they became living characters, people we felt we knew.In the movie, they're almost reduced to bit players.The book is about the Clutters, who were killed by Hickock and Smith; the movie is about Hickock and Smith who murdered a family named Clutter.

The book raced along with the speed of a good novel; the film moves at a slower pace, that of an investigative report.If we see too little of the Clutters, we really get inside the minds of Smith and Hickock, and it isn't very nice in there.Shooting the movie in black and white lends to the newsreel quality of the film.It's a stark, bare-bones movie, the right kind of film to depict a senseless crime that ultimately destroyed six lives.

Posted on August 23, 2011

Velva Royalty says...

Based on Truman Capote's book, "In Cold Blood" is a rare example of a film which does justice to its original source. Based on an actual mass murder which occured in Kansas in late 50's, this stark black-and-white film directed by Richard Brooks (who also wrote the screenplay) is not for the squeamish. The two murderers, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, are excellently portrayed by Scott Wilson and Robert Blake. Two down-and-out losers, they plan what they believe will be a "major score" in the robbery of a supposedly wealthy Kansas farmer. But their partnership, and the psychopathic personality of Perry Smith, creates a third entity which results in the slaughter of the entire Klutter family. The last 30 minutes of this film are truly horrific, in flashback mode, and the brilliance of Richard Brooks' direction is that the murders are merely inferred by quick camera cuts that never show the killings on screen. The killers' executions at the end of the film are almost anti-climactic. See the film, then go read Capote's book; both are excellent accounts of this sad and savage story. This is a film that cries out to be released on DVD, with possible extra features being a documentary or two on the real-life killers and their actual capture. A much under-appreciated classic of film noir.

Posted on August 23, 2011

Cameron Sievert says...

When my DVD arrived yesterday I could not wait to take it home and watch it.I saw it when it originally came out in the 60s and I remember being shocked by the gritty black and white photography and the content.This was heady stuff for Atlanta. Robert Blake's performance haunts me to this day, so many years later.As I watched it last night I marveled at the photography, lighting, acting, writing.While only Mr. Forsyth and Mr. Blake are household names today, the other actors and actresses were perfectly cast.The performances are outstanding.I wish someone would bring this glorious masterpiece to the big screen again so the younger generation can enjoy it as we did so long ago.Perhaps they will order the DVD from Amazon.com and see for themselves what I am talking about.Truman Capote at his most brilliant.Robert Blake at his peak.Fascinating piece of film work.

Posted on August 23, 2011

Abe Raid says...

This film is the perfect example of what happens when you don't lock your doors at night! Your home gets invaded and, you may even get killed!

But that's not the point of this film (not really, anyway). This is a stark, cold, real film that is based on a true story that happened in 1959 in Kansas. Based on Truman Capote's 1965 novel, it became an excellent film in 1967 - starring Robert Blake and Scott Wilson, as low-life killers Perry Smith and Dick Hickok.

The film is about two men who hatch a plan in finding a safe which held a supposed fortune inside. In a rural town of Holcomb, Kansas, the Clutter family, the victims of this horrible tale, are murdered in cold blood all for a measly $40 - $10 for each life! There was Herbert Clutter (John McLiam), the father; Bonnie Clutter (Ruth Storey), the mentally unbalanced mother; Nancy Clutter (Brenda Currin), their 16-year-old daughter; and Kenyon Clutter (Paul Hough), their young son. All were killed at night for what? Nothing! A well-to-do family killed in a senseless act of violence.

But the film has a shocking twist! In some moments, we actually (or at least I did) come to like these characters! No, not for what they did, but for their dreams - like Perry's "Captain Cortes" bit or his dream about playing in Las Vegas. I even sympathized for him when he talked about his father pointing the shotgun at him and saying, "look at me, boy, 'cause this is the last face you'll ever get to see!" and they pulls the trigger without any bullets inside. (It was revealed that his father was the reason for Perry's explosive tempers, which also caused Perry to single-handedly kill the Clutters.) Even Dick can't believe it! And you're sure he had something to do with the murders, but it was all Perry's doing! Dick is slime, but you have to feel sorry in a way. They just wanted the money.

Then, in a surprise move by both author Capote and Richard Brooks, who directed and wrote the screenplay, showed a new side of these "villains." By showing their cross-country adventure in Mexico and back to the States, their adventure with a kid, a sick old man, and bottles (you'll just have to watch this film to see what I mean)!

But it is also not for the squeamish! I admit to crying during the murder scenes. Truly is heartbreaking. It balances between a drama, a film noir, and even a buddy/road film. Eventually, Dick and Perry are caught and sentenced to be hanged!

There are many familiar and very good character actors here: John Forsythe plays Alvin Dewey, the man in charge of finding the killers; Jeff Corey is Dick's father, Mr. Hickok; Will Geer is the prosecuting attorney who convicts them; and Paul Stewart (Raymond from CITIZEN KANE) as Jenson the reporter.

IN COLD BLOOD was nominated for 5 Academy Awards including: Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay - Richard Brooks; Best Cinematography - Conrad Hall; Best Film Editing; and Best Score - Quincy Jones.

A sad, but thoughtful film that is as compelling and surreal as the book itself!

Posted on August 23, 2011

Shala Valenciana says...

Inspired by my recent viewing of the excellent film CAPOTE, I returned to this 1967 version of the book CAPOTE focused on.Director Richard Brooks created a harsh, no frills almost documentary approach to the heinous crime committed by Perry Smith and Richard Hickocks; even in watching both movies I've never truly understood why the Clutter family was so brutally murdered, except for the killers vow to leave no witnesses.Robert Blake and Scott Wilson give unflinchinly chilling portrayals as the two killers, Blake with his barely perceptible psychosis and Wilson with his casual casting off of his crime.The movie is uncomfortable at times due to the nature of this violent crime but one can't deny its place among the classic true crime movies of our time.

Posted on August 24, 2011

Gordon Dirusso says...

This art on the poster is not center or the poster itself isn't a perfect rectangle. It looks as if it was cut by a human with one of those big paper cutters. Not blatantly obvious but it makes lining it up or centering it much harder.

Posted on August 25, 2011

Venetta Isadore says...

Once seen, you will never forget Richard Brooks' haunting adaptation of In Cold Blood. A truer or more shocking story of American crime & punishment has never been told so well, and the film will leave you withmore questions than answers. Yet, in terms of the filmmaking, everythingworks with the absolute precision of superlative craft. Robert Blake andScott Wilson are unforgettable in the lead roles, each essaying a differentkind of loser with brutish physicality and natural dialogue. The inventivejazz score by Quincy Jones is one of the strangest, and perhaps mostappropriate, soundtracks ever created for an American studio film. And,most of all, the dazzling B&W cinematography of Conrad Hall is aboutthe best I've ever seen. Images stick with you for days after the finalcredits roll-- a police cruiser screaming through the desolate Kansasprairie on a bright, cold morning; a cigarette lit in absolute darkness,suddenly revealing the twisted outline of a sweaty hand; a bloody shoeprintilluminated in the momentary glare of a flashing camera bulb; and, mostfamously, reflected rain 'tears' rolling down the killer's face as heawaits execution. The real miracle is that Brooks was able to preserve thenarrative sweep of Truman Capote's 'nonfiction novel' without sacrificingdetail. The documentary style and use of actual locations (it is rumoredthat Brooks even went so far as to use real vials of the victims' blood ina courtroom scene) make this a somewhat creepy viewing experience. But theoffhand manner with which American filmmakers deal with crime nowadaysneglects the heart of the issue-- murder and death are the ugliestexperiences imaginable-- and Brooks glamorizes nothing here (other than theutter innocence of the slain family.) An socially iconoclastic coda to thefilm, depicting the wait on death row and eventual execution of themurderers, may disturb some viewers even more. To summarize, In Cold Bloodis not much fun, but it is one of the most influential and disturbing filmexperiences of all time.

Posted on August 25, 2011

Carmelo Ranjel says...

I love the book this movie's based on, and am relieved to report that the movie is great as well--though in different ways.

"In Cold Blood" tells the true story of two young guys who senselessly murder an entire family in rural Kansas, mistakenly believing the family to have a hidden safe.While the book focuses almost equally on the people who were murdered, the killers, and the lawmen pursuing the killers, the movie focuses mainly on just the killers, and makes them that much more human in the process.

The film is shot in bright grim black-and-white, and its style makes the movie feel somewhat like old news footage, or like a cinema verite documentary.The movie's sudden bop-style music (by Quincy Jones) is great and helps boost the weird and creepy vibes surrounding the killers and their actions, and the director's use of MOS (silence when there could be sound) makes the scenes of the family's deaths all the more chilling, and all the more tragic.

The first half of the movie unfurls itself slowly, lazily, but serves well to introduce and even attach the viewer to the main characters, despite the characters' murderous ways...especially to Perry, the more childlike and (arguably) emotionally imbalanced of the two.Well-incorporated flashbacks serve to show the killers' sad childhoods, and makes their crime that much sadder, and that much harder to judge fairly.

The movie also ends in a very different spot than the book does, and much more abruptly, but it ends well, and the movie stands strongly as a work of art all its own.

I highly recommend it, and I'm looking forward to tracking down a copy of the 1990s-made-for-TV remake, and to seeing "Capote," the new film about Truman Capote writing the original book.

Posted on August 25, 2011

Billie Balter says...

Herbet Clutter, wife Bonnie, and their teenage children Kenyon and Nancy were much liked and respected in their tiny town of Holcomb, Kansas--but in the early hours of 14 November 1959 all four were brutally murdered.Rather unexpectedly, the crime made an impression on author Truman Capote, who rushed to the scene and followed the course of the case to its conclusion.The result was the book IN COLD BLOOD.Controversial, shocking, and exceptionally well-written, it became an international best seller and it remains a touchstone for crime writers to this day.



The 1967 film version of Capote's work is almost as remarkable as the book itself.Filmed in black and white in many of the real-life locations, it has a slightly documentary quality, icy and detached--and the overall cast is exceptional.This is the film on which Robert Blake's reputation as an actor rests, and deservedly so.As killer Perry Smith, Blake traps you between a profound distaste and the shock of unexpected sympathy; it is a masterful performance from start to finish.As Richard Hickock, Scott Wilson is no less fine.



Like Capote's book, the film opens with Smith and Hickock as they travel to Kansas and brings them to the Clutter home--only to suddenly flash past the crime to detail the investigation that finally resulted in their arrest and conviction.The centerpiece of the film has always been the moment at which we at last see what occurred in the Clutter home; actually filmed in the Clutter house itself, it is a spinechilling sequence, horrific and deeply disturbing.



Director and writer Richard Brooks guides the film with a very powerful sense of deliberation, erring only in the sense that he allows the film to become slightly preachy.Given the overall power of the film, however, this becomes a trivial annoyance.The DVD print is quite fine, but there are no extras of any kind.Strong stuff--and recommended.



GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Posted on August 26, 2011

Eleonora Breitenberg says...

Well I went to bed at 10 pm all excited about getting to bed early.I made the mistake of putting on the TV to see what was on Discovery Health Channel.We I accidently put on a movie channel and I saw the very beginning of this movie and a young Robert Blake. Well at 12:15 I finally went to bed.I could not for a second pull myself away from this movie.



This proves again to me how good movies were in the year 1967. The performances of Blake and Wilson were riveting.When I had conflicting feelings over a character througout the movie then I know they are giving me a performance.



The black/white photography darkens the mood and the photography is magnificent. There are many outstanding cinematic works out there, but "In Cold Blood" ranks at near the top.



I would highly recommend this movie for a quiet evening if you would like to watch a cinematically compelling movie and stellar acting.

Posted on August 28, 2011