Capone (2020) - It's just okay

We interrupt our ongoing Anie-May theme month to bring you a traditional recent release review. 

Back in 2012, a young up-and-coming filmmaker named Josh Trank released his debut film titled Chronicle. A sci-fi found-footage style story about a trio of teenagers who inexplicably gain superpowers. It was a surprise success and put director Josh Trank on the map. Gaining the attention of the big wigs over at 20th Century Fox (before Disney bought them). So, in their then ongoing attempt to compete with Marvel Studios, and to retain the movie rights to the Marvel properties they still owned at the time, Fox hired Josh Trank to make a brand new movie based on The Fantastic Four. Sadly, this would prove to be an enormous mistake. See, Josh Trank had initially been given free rein to do what he wanted with his first film, Chronicle, because it was a new property with little to no expectations. Therefore, he assumed it would be the same case for his next project with The Fantastic Four. Unfortunately, that would not be the case at all. For reasons that would become clear later on, Trank decided to make this new Fantastic Four movie (unofficially titled Fan4stic) into a dark and unsettling body-horror film. Eventually, this would lead to Trank budding heads with the executives at Fox because, while they did want to stand out from Marvel Studios, they still wanted a more-or-less "traditional" superhero movie. After many unfortunate events, including extensive studio interference as well as unprofessional behavior from Trank himself, he was fired from the project while in post-production. This caused the film to undergo many reshoots and last-minute editing changes that ultimately destroyed any semblance of cohesion the film may have once had. Needless to say, Fan4stick bombed hard, both financially and especially critically. Further damaging the audience's confidence in Fox to properly handle their Marvel properties and nearly destroying Josh Trank's future career.

Now, five years later, Josh Trank has found his way out of purgatory and is aiming for a comeback with his latest outing, Capone. A psychological thriller chronicling the last year in the life of the notorious gangster as he struggles with his debilitating memory and sanity. While I can say that it is a competently acted and directed film, I wouldn't know if it is as incredible of a comeback as Josh Trank would probably like it to be. There is no denying that the man has talent, but he may still have a few lessons to learn from his prior experiences.

As mentioned earlier, the story follows Al "Fonse" Capone (Tom Hardy) during the last year of his life. Having served his time in prison and no longer deemed a threat, he is living his early golden years in his mansion down in Florida under surveillance. Suffering from a severe case of Syphilis and having already had one stroke so far, his mental state is slowly debilitating. When he's not struggling to retain his grip on reality, he's haunted by his darker memories. On top of that, a rumor is spreading of a hidden fortune somewhere on his estate. Which his struggling family, as well as the FBI, would love to get their hands on. It's a dark and unsettling tale of internal horror and many forms of loss.

First, let me go over what I liked about the film.

Tom Hardy delivers his usual excellent talent and ability. Putting out a performance that is both nuanced yet expected. It's starting to become a staple of Tom Hardy that he always performs with a strange voice while wearing a mask or face-altering make-up. It makes me wonder why they haven't talked to him about playing Richard III yet.

Josh Trank's direction showcases where his inspiration comes from. It becomes clear that Josh Trank is heavily influenced by past legends such as David Cronenberg and Paul Verhoeven. He seems to be most interested in the more disturbing aspects of the human condition. In the case of Capone, the inherent horrors of a slow and uncomfortable death. For the most part, Josh Trank shows his talent for dark and unsettling stories, and with the right script, I have no doubt that he can turn in a genuinely perfect film.

Speaking of the script, it's probably one of the weaker aspects of the film, second only to the editing (more on that in a minute). The dialogue is okay, but the structure and expectations made of the viewer by the script are questionable. It's relatively clear that we are expected to sympathize, or at least empathize, with Capone as a character. As if to imply that he regretted his actions and was seeking redemption. While the script does a decent job in keeping the debate of if he deserves it or not as an open-ended question, it feels clear what Josh Trank believes to be the right answer; and I'm not sure I agree with it.

However, while the screenplay seems to walk a tightrope between well-intended and seemingly arrogant relatively well, the editing, on the other hand, is downright terrible. Josh Trank wrote, directed, and edited this film. While I do believe he is a talented director and a passible writer at best, he is by no stretch of the imagination a good editor. It feels incredibly reminiscent of the editing in Bohemian Rhapsody, where random quick cuts flash about in the middle of a scene with no rhyme or reason to them. The kind of editing that gives the impression that they tried to cut around a line of dialogue or a shot they didn't have. It's so jarring and random that it betrays Josh Trank's otherwise decent shot compositions. His shooting style does not call for the kind of editing he felt compelled to implement. Maybe the intention was to convey the rapid loss of Capone's grip on reality, but if that was the case, there are many different techniques he could have used to accomplish the same goal. As far as I am concerned, the only director who should be allowed to edit his own films is Mike Flannigan.

While I cannot say for sure that Capone is a great film, let alone a perfect comeback for Josh Trank, I can say that, at the very least, it is a better showcase of the kinds of films that he wants to make. It also shows that Trank still has a ways to go before he becomes a better filmmaker. I get the impression that his arrogance is still holding him back. So until he works out whatever baggage he may be lugging around, we won't be seeing him at his absolute best just yet. As for the movie itself, I would say, if you're the least bit curious, check it out for yourself. Though, I would also recommend you wait until its price of admission drops, as it is not worth the ten dollars I paid for a rental.

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you all for reading.