Throw this into the list of movies that I respect much more than I like. A lot of what In Cold Blood is doing is pretty cool. It de-sensationalizes the events as much as it can. It’s a very matter-of-fact movie. The documentary approach is very rare for the time. The closest thing I can think of from that era is The Battle of Algiers. There’s even a little Citizen Kane to the structuring. Robert Blake is good casting that only got better over time. I never realized how much a young Scott Wilson had Lee Pace energy. There are a lot of movies that would never exist without In Cold Blood as a template for success. Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer definitely, but really any crime movie that strives for realism.
In Cold Blood may be a victim of its own influence though, much like old trial films that suffer as audiences understand how trials really work better. I’ve seen a lot of crime movies made since In Cold Blood. Every variation is out there. Murderers who are more inscrutable or more sociopathic. Crimes that are bloodier. Murders that are more professional or more deranged. I appreciate what In Cold Blood was in 1967, when Doctor Dolittle was a Best Picture nominee. It’s a key New Hollywood movie. The things that make it work can be topped in a way that contemporary films couldn’t. The Graduate (1967) speaks to a very specific moment in US history. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is so visually stunning that it still slaps today. In Cold Blood could’ve come out at any time, looked better, and had numerous similar caliber performances.
Verdict: Weakly Recommend
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