March 20, 2009

In Cold Blood

Title: In Cold Blood
Year: 1967
Director: Richard Brooks
Writer: Richard Brooks, based on the novel by Truman Capote
Starring: Robert Blake, Scott Wilson
Music: Quincy Jones
Distinctions: Oscar nominations for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Score; formerly on IMDb's Top 250
Synopsis: the aftermath for two men who murder a family during a robbery
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), March 2008
Subjective Rating: 7/10 8/10 (Great).
Objective Rating: 8/10 (points off for cinematography and music) c. 3.3/4 (Very good).

Great movie. It's a bit long, but it pulls you in. The violence -- there's very little of it, and it's off screen, totally PG-13 -- is startlingly stronger than any modern movie I can think of. There's a lot of focus on the cinematography being dramatic and atmospheric (Jim Jarmusch probably loves it), but it ends up obscuring things too much. The music is overbearing and inappropriate. One of these days I have to see Capote.

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