In Cold Blood
Composite Score: 84.77
Starring: Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe, Paul Stewart, Gerald S. O’Loughlin, Jeff Corey, Charles McGraw, and Sammy Thurman
Director: Richard Brooks
Writer: Richard Brooks
Genres: Biography, Crime, Drama, History
MPAA Rating: R
Box Office: $13 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
In Cold Blood is the film adaptation of Truman Capote’s true crime novel of the same name about a quadruple homicide in rural Kansas in the late 1950s. The film primarily follows the story of two perpetrators of the crime – Perry Smith, played by Robert Blake, and Dick Hickock, played by Scott Wilson – while cutting away occasionally to the investigators on their trail and to the past/memories of Perry in an effort to portray the fullness of the case. The film received Oscar nominations for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score and has been celebrated for its gritty realism and its poignant examination of criminals and the justice system.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
There’s very little to dissuade anyone from watching In Cold Blood. It deals well with its sensitive subject matter, though some of the flashbacks to Perry’s abusive childhood might be jarring or triggering for certain audiences. The biggest knock against the film comes in the form of the limited nature of its real-life material. There’s so many potential side themes that could be explored or delved into with the loose threads of the film’s reality that end up getting glossed over, ignored, or simply mentioned in rants from Perry and Dick. While that might leave some audiences slightly frustrated, there’s no accusing this film of biting off more than it could chew. It gets in and gets back out with just the right amount of thematic exploration without going full preachy with its messaging.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Stylistically and thematically, In Cold Blood feels just enough ahead of its time to remain relevant and impactful for the foreseeable future. For starters, the way the film is shot and cut give it the feeling of a more modern film, in the vein of Edgar Wright or even David O. Russell, with its creative cinematography from Conrad L. Hall (Road to Perdition and American Beauty) and cuts from scene to scene based on dialogue and sound cues. It keeps the whole thing paced in a way that feels more modern than any 1960s film I’ve yet seen. Additionally, the film explores the issue of the death penalty and guilt and what type of punishment criminals deserve, particularly those with traumas and potential mental health issues. The guilt of Perry and Dick never truly comes into question in the film – there’s no denying that the pair committed the crime – but by not showing the actual commission of the crime until the third act, Brooks is able to humanize the perpetrators and create some sympathy, if not empathy, in the hearts of the audience by the point of their trial and punishment. It is brilliantly, and chillingly, done, reminding the audience that no person exists in a vacuum and that we are all products of our pasts in some way, shape, or form – some for the better and some for the worse.
The film adaptation of Capote’s In Cold Blood earns its place among the greats with cinematography and pacing that feel beyond their time and an exploration of the criminal mind and the justice system that seeks to punish them that should still raise discussions today. The film doesn’t explore all of its possible themes to their fullest extent but does better by focusing on the ones raised by the immediate true crime story. It is currently available to rent on most streaming platforms if you’d like to give it a shot.
