True Story, 2015.
Directed by Rupert Goold.
Starring James Franco, Jonah Hill, Felicity Jones, and Ethan Suplee.
SYNOPSIS:
New York Times journalist Michael Finkel (Jonah Hill) has lost his job. Fired for playing fast and loose with the facts, he spots a chance at redemption and financial reward in Christian Longo (James Franco). Having stolen Finkel’s identity Longo is now facing trial for murder. Intrigued enough to meet, these two unlikely men find more than a few things to talk about.
Made under the auspices of Brad Pitt’s Plan B production arm, True Story is a slow burn thriller which will draw inevitable comparisons. Whether that be with the alpha male stand-off of Frost/Nixon, Jonathan Demme’s Silence of the Lambs, or it’s under rated cousin Manhunter. There are arguments which could also be made for The King’s Speech, Tim Robbins directed Dead Man Walking or even The Rock in terms of two people in a room and shed loads of dialogue. However what True Story has as trump cards is apparent within minutes. In Jonah Hill and James Franco there exists an inane chemistry honed through years of friendship, that expands into an unexpected masterclass in understatement.
Portraying New York Times journalist Mike Finkel and Christian Longo respectively, both men excel in dividing sympathies even after lights up. Franco, who continues to pull off the trick of a modern day renaissance man, instils Longo with a sense of quiet confidence. Whilst Hill rifts on his Peter Brand character from Bennett Miller’s Moneyball, adding additional dimensions which match those of his opposite number.
Elsewhere Felicity Jones, last seen by this reviewer in The Theory of Everything, provides solid support as Finkel’s wife. Both an academic and emotional equal, Jones continues her run of strong female characters providing the bedrock of yet another intellectual union. However a great performance does not simply happen. Good writing requires the right director and clearly someone has done their homework.
In Rupert Goold, associate director of the RSC, there exists a measured restraint, eye for dialogue exchange and ability to draw out performance. Displaying the same confidence as Sam Mendes in American Beauty, Goold carefully maps out each encounter. Breaking down barriers through close ups, whilst suggesting the inherent intrusion this has on domestic affairs. These similarities should be unsurprising, as Goold spent time with Mendes at the Donmar Warehouse in the late Nineties before moving into theatre direction. Something which peaked with his production of Macbeth starring Patrick Stewart.
In truth it is exactly this theatrical background which is responsible for that sense of control. Because with this assurance comes a creative safety net allowing both men to concentrate on character. An ancillary benefit of which may be an Oscar come March of next year. While Felicity Jones also gets her moment with Franco, proving that underneath her bookish exterior beats the heart of a woman prepared to tool up and protect her own. Maybe not supporting actress material, purely because she fails to get enough time on the playing field, but still memorable.
As a concluding recommendation let me just say this. In its final moments True Story adds something else to the melting pot which all great thrillers possess; pause for thought. Here is a man who wrote and continues to write for a living. Conversations took place, trusts were exchanged and privacies breached. One wrote a book the other sits on death row. Yet on the first Sunday of every month they have a conversation. Don’t you wonder what they talk about?
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Martin Carr – Follow me on Twitter
https://youtu.be/rTcdL3-dh2c?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published July 17, 2015. Updated November 29, 2022.
