The crime that shocked a nation.

Starring: Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe, Paul Stewart, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Jeff Corey, John Gallaudet, James Flavin, Charles McGraw, Will Geer, John McLiam

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"There's two kinds of laws, honey. One for the rich and one for the poor." - Dick

Why watch this? A senseless crime. How can this happen to innocent people?

Plot Summary: The story traces the paths of two ex-convicts, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, who hatch a plan to rob a rural Kansas family. After a botched attempt, the drifters go on the run while law enforcement works to track them down. The true-crime narrative explores the complex motivations of the killers and the chilling investigation that follows.

Dad's Preview: This docudrama is based on Truman Capote's 1966 novel based on the actual murders of the Clutter family in Kolcomb, Kansas. Director Brooks' focus is authenticity and I felt, at times, that I was watching a crime documentary. The two men responsible, Perry and Richard, are ex-cons who cannot find a way to make it in the real world. Both are vacant of anything resembling empathy or humanity. The last half of the film centers on their capture and trial - finally they cannot escape their fate, and they know it. Nothing here is sugar-coated. Blake and Wilson are perfect as two psychopaths, square pegs in a round civilized world, deserving of whatever justice is decreed. 

Pax Enterprises; Columbia Pictures