In Cold Blood | Robert Blake, Scott Wilson | Just HAD to find out what made these killers do it!

In Cold Blood | Robert Blake, Scott Wilson | No Turning Back...

DVDs:

In Cold Blood

	In Cold Blood Robert Blake, Scott Wilson Columbia Pictures, 2003 average customer review:based on 62 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 05/22/2007 Run time: 134 minutes Rating: R

Just HAD to find out what made these killers do it!

I've always been fascinated with this true story of a notorious cold-blooded crime, so decided to order the new movie version from Netflix.

Surprise! I got the original movie version filmed in 1967, starring a young Robert Blake and Scott Wilson as the crazed, complex killers. On second thought, I decided to watch this one because I truly like movies like this in black and white. (Sort of reminds me of the old Glenn Ford movies ... adds a further touch of "creepiness" to me.)

This chilling tale based on Truman Capote's nonfiction novel follows two drifters who murder an allegedly rich Kansas family and flee to Mexico. Filmed in the house where the real-life incident occurred, In Cold Blood paints a compassionate portrait of the Clutter family ... and their killers (Robert Blake and Scott Wilson). Nominated for four Oscars, this disturbing movie was shot in black and white but implies that the meaning of justice is not.

This was a highly dramatic movie, keeping me on the edge of my seat the entire time I viewed it. I was surprised at my reaction to Robert Blake's character; the compassion I felt for him was real ... but much less so than the compassion I had for his victims.

This movie disturbed me in its intensity, bringing home the fact that there are many killers out there in today's world, just waiting to pounce on innocent victims for their own warped reasons ... and they look no different than "the boy next door." Frightening!

Yet I still want to see the new version ... for comparison purposes. I find it extremely interesting and educational to see how different directors and actors interpret and portray identical situations.

I advise everyone to see both movies. (The same advice I gave for King Kong.)

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No Turning Back...

Robert Blake is magnificent (there's a word I rarely use) as Perry Smith in this classic rendition of IN COLD BLOOD. While his murderous acts, along w/ partner Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson), are as reprehensible as they are senseless, I found myself captivated by Perry and his fate. Blake brings a child-like quality to this killer that makes him more difficult to hate, and impossible to dismiss. Now, I felt for the victims even more in that they were totally innocent prey. This poor family was annihilated for no reason other than greed and blind rage. Still, Perry Smith is one of those monsters made in the crucible of life-long pain and pointless existence. Did he deserve to pay the highest price for his crimes? Certainly. Is his past an excuse for his actions? Not at all. However, I did find Blake's portrayal to be surprisingly moving. Smith's last few minutes are unforgettable...

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The Anatomy of a Murder

The film begins on a cold day. A bus goes on the highway with "Kansas City" as its identification. Perry has a letter from Dick telling about some great wealth. Dick has a map to a rich farmer with a safe. They dream of great wealth, the sum of $10,000! A family in Kansas begins a new day. Dick seems compulsively reckless. Perry speaks of his fantasies. There is a mention of "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" as if to symbolize the futility of their plans. The talk tells about their personalities and history.

The Clutter family don't have a dog that will bark at strangers. The next morning visitors find the bodies. The police are called, and the investigation begins. The knot used to tie the victims is a clue. The bloody shoe-prints tell about the killers. The family radio is missing. A newspaper offers a reward. Dick runs a scam to pass a phony check and get cash in change. [This scam still happens on the Internet.] Will this trail of paper tell on them? Then a telephone call arrives from a prisoner who names a suspect. A reporter tells of a psychological study of men who committed senseless murders. Does it fit this duo? Perry has a flashback to a traumatic experience in his youth. Dick had been a good athlete in school but turned mean after prison. The vigilance of the police detects their presence, but the pair gets away. They are caught in Las Vegas.

The police question each of them separately. Do their stories agree? Their lies trip up their alibis. Why do convicts get tattoos? Dick finally breaks down - and blames Perry! On the trip back to Kansas Perry confesses the details. The robbery and murders are recreated on screen. [The scenes at the Clutter home seem drawn out.] The prosecutor at the trial sums up their crimes and explains why they must get the death penalty. The jury took 40 minutes to convict them and provide the penalty. The appeals held off the execution for 5 years. Then the day arrived. Perry's reminiscing sets the tone for the final scene. There is a shocking surprise at the end of this drama, but there was a prior clue. [This was not in the book.]

This story can serve as an argument for the justness of the death penalty when it is properly applied. The few who benefit from an expanding prison population will not agree. To reduce crime you must enable prosperity; poverty causes crime. This point is subtly made in the beginning when describing the backgrounds of Dick and Perry.

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Richard Brooks' true crime masterpiece

Based on Truman Capote's masterpiece of a book by the same name.

Bone chilling. Nightmare-inducing.

In cold Blood

Good movie , good actors but Capote's book is so perfect that to
make a movie as much as good is almost impossible.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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