XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.

Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

blanche-2 "True Story" from 2015 stars Jonah Hill and James Franco as writer Mike Finkel and killer Christian Longo, respectively.Finkel was a well-regarded journalist for the New York Times who fudged a story and combined five people into one, was caught, and was fired. He learns later that a man who murdered his wife and three children, Christian Longo, was caught in Mexico and was at the time using the name Mike Finkel. Intrigued, Finkel arranges a meeting.What follows is a bonding experience, where Longo claims to be a long-time fan of Finkel, and Finkel finds similarities between his own life and is impressed that he and Finkel even take similar types of notes. Longo asks that none of the information he gives Finkel be released until after the trial and promises him exclusivity. In exchange, Longo would like to learn to write the way that Finkel can and asks for pointers.Finkel begins to believe that Longo is covering someone and doubts his guilt. He also realizes that the story is more than article -it's a book.It's not until the trial that Finkel learns the true story.Good film about an actual case, but while it's effective, it doesn't have the bone-chilling quality it could have. The acting is good, particularly by Franco who has the showier role. The acting is done in a naturalistic style - a tiny bit more punch in a film like this might have helped as it lacks some necessary emotion.I think a stronger script or even more potent direction could have made this a truly devastating experience. As it is, it's interesting without being fascinating.

Petru Tiglar The movie blew straight past my expectations of a Jonah Hill and James Franco film. It was great to see the two playing such serious roles and the two of them really did a fantastic job. I loved the movie, very deep & emotional. The story was strong and the directing was A+. I'd love to see more films like this from the two, they are remarkable characters. Great Job!

BlueFairyBlog Like the name implies this is the true story of journalist Mike Finkel's relationship with convicted killer Christian Longo. Brought together by their tendencies to lie, or inflate their egos, the journalist and the convict become friends and eerily enough, learn from each other. Based on the book of the same name, this story is brought to the screen and then aptly butchered by a floundering plot, aimless direction, and slow paced action.Both Hill and Franco have Oscar nominations to their names, and though they are predominately known for their comedic roles, it makes sense to put them in a film where they explore serious topics. Still, if you're going to put two people with their backgrounds in a dramatic film, it better be a good film. Often it feels like Franco is putting us on, trying to play a child killer while hiding an insidious smirk behind the blank expression he wears for much of the film. Hill does his best, but the role isn't as meaty as past supporting performances in "The Wolf of Wall Street" or even "Moneyball." He's more subdued and anal, and it's not a look that Hill can pull off. Though each is trying to embody their characters, it doesn't feel authentic at the end of the day.The link between Finkel and Longo is well established. There are many similar things about the two, including how they journal, they want to be taken seriously as writers, and they often twist of the truth to suit their narrative. At the end of the film it's still unclear whether Finkel, seeing these imperfect similarities, is horrified or unmoved. The ending shows Longo as the calculated, willful killer who has tricked Finkel, while also charming others into believing in his plight. Was Finkel seriously shocked about learning his prison pen pal was deranged, or was he more interested in seeing how they diverged in the wood? Either way it's a muddled, uncertain film that doesn't know what it wants to say or how to say it.

jtindahouse I recently reviewed 'Deliver Us From Evil' and was disgusted to find they'd used the tagline "based on a true story" when the story was in no way based on truth. I commented that films are desperate to be able to attach that tagline to their film because it is often considered a sign of quality right off the bat. 'True Story' takes it to the next level by actually calling the film itself this. It is indeed based on a true story and a very interesting one at that. Often the problem with true stories is that they struggle to have any element of mystery to them because the story is told so faithfully. As much as people will often say the truth is stranger than fiction, it rarely is the case.What we have here though is a story that, for any one who is not familiar with it, could easily come across as a mystery/thriller straight from the mind of a Hollywood writer. It reminded me a lot of 'Primal Fear' where you're never entirely sure just how genuine each character is in anything they say. Jonah Hill and James Franco were truly terrific in the lead roles. They're certainly more known for their comedic roles but whenever they step into a serious role, Hill in particular, they do stellar work. It's not always perfect, but for the most part it comes across as a very fine film. The ending could be considered a bit of a let down by some. One more twist in the plot was all that stopped it from really blowing audiences away, but alas that's not how the story happened and so that's not what we get - again an unfortunate thing we have to accept when dealing with true stories. Altogether though a surprisingly enjoyable film that I hope people take the time to see.