Richard Brooks’ In Cold Blood is a stylish dramatisation of the renowned non-fiction novel of the same name by Truman Capote. Though essentially made to cash in on the book’s fame, and hence made so as to closely follow the book’s structuring of the events, it has nonetheless managed to stand on its own as a work of merit and calibre. Brilliantly photographed in expressionistic black-and-whites, mostly employing claustrophobic visuals and low-angle shots, and backed by a memorable jazz-styled score, the movie bears close resemblance to classic era film noirs in terms of mood and atmospherics, though it doesn’t really qualify as one. For the uninitiated, the movie chronicles the real-life event of two delinquent crackerjack youths, Dick and Perry (extremely well acted by the respective leads), killing respectable rancher Herbert Clutter and his family in cold blood for a meager sum of money, and how they are successful pursued by the homicide cop Alvin Dewey Jr. and sent to the gallows to meet their fates. The voiceovers near the finale seemed a bit jarring and hence should have been avoided. However, that apart, the movie managed to be not just gripping, but even quite breathtaking at times.
Director: Richard Brooks
Genre: Crime Drama/Docu-fiction
Language: English
Country: US
