In Cold Blood
1967
****½
Director: Richard Brooks
Cast: Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe, Paul Stewart, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Jeff Corey, John Gallaudet
This influential adaptation of Truman Capote's non-fiction novel dissects the famous 1959 mass murder in Kansas. Two ex-convicts on parole planned to rob a wealthy farmer but ended up killing a family of four for a measly \$40. The film is not a traditional whodunnit, but an in-depth study of crime and (a commentary on capital) punishment. It's long but very powerful, and stunningly shot in black and white by Conrad Hall. The newcomers Blake and Wilson give strong performances.
