REEL CRITIC:’Infamous’ is a true depiction of Capote

“Infamous,” although not a remake, covers much the same ground as last year’s “Capote,” the award-winning film about Truman Capote’s 1959 trip to Kansas, where he researched the details for his bestseller “In Cold Blood.” And as good as that film was, this one is better.

Just as in the 2005 release, Capote (Toby Jones) is intrigued by a newspaper story about a quadruple homicide in rural Kansas and decides that this sordid account could be fodder for a lengthy article or perhaps even a full-length book. Of course, his instincts are correct, and although Capote published several books and volumes of articles over his lifetime, he is best known for “In Cold Blood,” a literate work of nonfiction that reads like a novel.

After his arrival in Kansas where he ingratiates himself with the local townsfolk, Capote sets to work on gaining access to the recently captured killers, who are being held in the local lockup. He needs cooperation from the killers to complete his book and in order to gain the confidence of a reticent Perry Smith (Daniel Craig) Capote reveals to Smith details of his own squalid childhood.

Capote and Smith develop a close bond and eventually form a relationship that was only hinted at in the version that was released last year. Capote develops what seem to be sincere feelings for Smith yet he confides to friends that his book can’t be completed until the two condemned killers hang for their crime. His obsession for his book project is in direct conflict with his affection for Smith. This moral dilemma becomes the corrosive element that ruins Capote’s career and eventually his being.

Jones, the elfin British actor, has captured the essence of the Capote that I remember, the Capote who scandalized late-night talk show audiences in the 1960s with his outrageous behavior. Jones has captured Capote’s fey speech and flamboyant mannerisms and even looks like the late writer. Sandra Bullock as Capote’s lifelong friend Harper Lee turns in a magnificent yet understated performance that may be the best work she has done so far. Her role adds quiet dignity and foundation to the story as the foil to Capote’s mincing shenanigans.

This film also features a few clever nuances. For example, to show the passing of time while Capote waited for the hangman to resolve his dilemma, director Douglas McGrath uses a Dusty Springfield cover recording of an early Beatles tune to introduce a mid-1960s prison scene. Also, details of Capote’s relationships with film stars, especially Humphrey Bogart, add a spark of hilarity to break the tension in this rather gripping drama.

It should be noted though, that the two films, “Capote” and “Infamous” were made at approximately the same time and that the more recent production, “Infamous,” was held back from release for one year. More than anything else, this shows the current interest within the arts community for Capote’s work some 20 years after the writer’s death.

Rated R for profanity, violence and brief nudity, “Infamous” has a running time of two hours.