In Cold Blood
"4 Stars! Incisive, Engrossing..." -Leonard Maltin, Movie & Video Guide
In Cold Blood is the powerful, true story of a callous murder, based upon the best-selling novel by Truman Capote. A prosperous and respected Kansas farmer, his wife and his two teenage children are wantonly and brutally slaughtered. The murderers are two mindless ex-convict drifters: Perry Smith (Robert Blake) and Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson). The story penetrates the inner workings of the criminals' minds as it follows their purposeless meanderings through Mexico and the United States in evasion of the law and finally to the dramatic end of their journey.
Member Reviews
Cold Blood Murder classic - Mike21
After a botched robbery results in the brutal murder of a rural family, two drifters elude police, in the end coming to terms with their own mortality and the repercussions of their vile atrocity. Robert Blake plays a great role in this flick asside from his pill addiction and his bad leg. True classic revisited. Worth the rental!Fascinates On Every Level - c4th
In Cold Blood is a classic example of an excellent story and superb filming technique blended into one piece.
Just watch the scene near the opening as a bus is brought into the extreme foreground and the shot gradually changes to a view of the train station. This is just one example of many innovative scene transitions observed throughout the movie. Director Richard Brooks also uses superb lighting technique to focus attention on his subject matter in the film’s numerous dark settings. I’m sure this movie is frequently used in film making classes to point out its superior filming techniques.
Truman Capote’s best-selling novel about the senseless slaughter of a family in rural Kansas is finely crafted material from which to draw and Brook’s screenwriting maintains its quality. I particularly like how we are made to wait for the actual murder scene. The tension in our body builds from the anticipation of a shocking scene yet to come. Also noticeable was the irony provided by near encounters between criminal and victim subtly inserted into the plot. With excellent performances from Robert Blake and Scott Wilson as the murdering duo, the film delves into the criminal minds with scenes that don’t merely hint at mental instability but also attempt to explain it with some subtle suggestions of how the system let Perry Smith (Blake), and ultimately society, down.
The most chilling aspect of this movie lies in the portrayal of the Clutters. They were a typical upstanding family that followed the usual morning routine before departing for things like school or work or just a day with friends. They were faced with common inconveniences like reviewing and signing insurance policies. In other words - they were much like most of us. They were struck down not because they were caught in unusual circumstance but were interrupted as they peacefully slept in their beds. The portrayal clearly emphasizes our vulnerability to random acts.Really good - Poet
This film, like the book, does a really good job of putting human faces upon the murderers involved in that senseless crimes. We get to know them before we even see what happened in that house on that fateful night. We start to feel for them and see them as something more than criminals. They are human too.
Yes, that may seem a little manipulative on the part of the storytellers, and I admit it is. But, all criminals are humans, first and foremost, and we tend to forget that. I guess it is normal, when a violent crime is committed, to forget about the person behind the murderer.
The acting on everyone's part is stellar here. This movie needs to be seen at least once in a lifetime.
Member Reviews
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Cold Blood Murder classic - Mike21
After a botched robbery results in the brutal murder of a rural family, two drifters elude police, in the end coming to terms with their own mortality and the repercussions of their vile atrocity. Robert Blake plays a great role in this flick asside from his ...Fascinates On Every Level - c4th
In Cold Blood is a classic example of an excellent story and superb filming technique blended into one piece.
Just watch the scene near the opening as a bus is brought into the extreme foreground and the shot gradually changes to a view of the train ...Really good - Poet
This film, like the book, does a really good job of putting human faces upon the murderers involved in that senseless crimes. We get to know them before we even see what happened in that house on that fateful night. We start to feel for them and see them as ...