Friday Feature: 'True Story' review

Hayden Pittman, WFAA Special Contributor 4:36 p.m. CDT April 17, 2015

(L-R) Jonah Hill as Mike Finkel and James Franco as Christian Longo in "True Story."(Photo: Barry Wetcher/Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Starring James Franco, Jonah Hill, and Felicity Jones, "True Story" is a dramatic thriller based on true events and elevated by performances from Franco and Hill, who star in a more serious and engaging role than most audiences have likely seen before.

Overall, this film has many good qualities, but it also has several elements that seem to be out of place or that simply do not work. Although there is some dark and hard content, it's nice to see Hill and Franco together in something other than a comedy. While the film may not be on the exact same level, it almost presents a "Gone Girl" or "Prisoners"-like thrilling, dramatic experience.

Going into this film, I didn't know anything about it. To my knowledge, I was not familiar with the story and had not seen any advertisements for the film. Being a fan of Franco, Hill, and Jones, I had good hopes for the movie. Initially, I expected Hill or Franco to start telling jokes, but after some time, I started to appreciate their decent performances. "True Story" won't be mistaken for the best of its genre or one of the top films of the year, but it's a refreshing change from some of the other films currently in theaters.

Hill plays the role of Michael Finkel, a journalist for the New York Times who gets fired for improperly creating a story about African slave trade. On top of losing his job and struggling to find another, Finkel soon finds out that Christian Longo (Franco), a man who is part of the FBI's Most Wanted for allegedly murdering his wife and kids, has been arrested, and claims to have been living as Michael Finkel. The real Finkel goes to visit Longo in prison, and the two strike up a rather strange relationship, where Finkel ends up trading journalism and writing tips for Longo's confession and account of what really happened.

"True Story" is the kind of film that is not always clear, doesn't give you all the pieces and presents a slow reveal, which often keeps you guessing, waiting, and sometimes confused. It's clearly a drama or suspense thriller, utilizing techniques like slow motion, extreme close-ups of people or objects, shots that are in and out of focus, long pauses, and ominous or dark background music. Some of the material is often weird, eerie, or difficult to watch, such as the creepy relationships or encounters between characters, or when Longo is describing how his family died while showing flashbacks of the event. There's not exactly a huge shocking reveal at the end; it's more of the creepy and odd way everything plays out.

The plot of the film is intriguing enough and there are several known quality actors, but for whatever reason, certain things don't seem to work. Whether it's the dialogue, pacing, the setup and layout of events, or something else entirely, parts of the film just feel off, unclear, out of place, misused, poorly executed, etc. Felicity Jones plays Finkel's wife, and while her performance is not a loss, her role seems forced or incomplete at times. As she is an English actress, I had a difficult time trying not to focus on her attempting to cover up her accent. When it's all said and done, there are certain elements in the film that are very weird.

While the storytelling and treatment may not be perfect, it's fascinating and even chilling to think about the reality of what really happened with Finkel and Longo. From British theater director Rupert Goold, produced by Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment, and premiering at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, "True Story" feels more like an artistic indie thriller than a Hollywood blockbuster. For fans of Hill and Franco, their interactions and one-on-ones are the main reasons to see this film. Opinions of this film are all over the map, but there's no denying that this tense thriller and true story provide adequate entertainment.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars.

"True Story" is rated R for language and some disturbing material. Running time is 1 hour and 40 minutes.

_________________________________

Hayden Pittman is a special contributor to WFAA.com and a freelance film critic and entertainment writer out of Dallas. He is a film, TV, and sports enthusiast, and when he is not reviewing movies, Hayden works in film production. As an average, passionate film lover who rarely misses a film, his reviews are simple and straightforward. Don't like what he has to say. Let him know at hpittman87@gmail.com, find him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter at @HPMoviePitt. Enjoy the movies!

Read or Share this story: http://on.wfaa.com/1G2fg3D

Source: http://www.wfaa.com/story/entertainment/2015/04/17/friday-feature-true-story-movie-review/25956365/