Rating: 
Summary: 1959, a good year?
Review: Powerful adaptation of Truman Capote's "fictionalization" of the true event of two drifters who murder a Kansas farm family in cold blood. As with German expressionism, Brooks leaves the horror to lie in what you don't see rather than what you do (which isn't very much). Blake and Wilson are perfect in the leads, but this is not a subtle tale, and those who are easily upset (or disturbed) need to stay away. Rated R for profanity, violence, adult situations, sexual content, and grim murder.
Rating: 
Summary: BLAKE'S REEL LIFE KILLER
Review: Richard Brooks' extraordinary IN COLD BLOOD arrives on a DVD with no extras. Based on Truman Capote's compelling account of the murder of a Kansas farm family in the late 50s by two pathetic losers -- Dick Hickock and Perry Smith -- features an unforgettable Robert Blake as Smith. (Too bad Columbia Tristar did not pursue Blake for a commentary -- no matter what his observations or rants might be.) This black and white, documentary-style film dares to let us get to know the killers (as Capote did). In a way, it's a twisted love story and road movie as Hickock and Smith meander to a dead end. It's said that Capote witnessed the hanging of the killers and kissed Smith on the lips before he swung from the gallows. Maybe the best book to movie ever. Disturbing and insightful and compassionate and gripping.
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Summary: One of the most powerful films I've ever seen!
Review: Spectacular! One of those movies that continues to haunt you long after having seen it. Execellent cinematography with beautiful use of light and shadow, and very powerful acting.
Rating:
Summary: Really good
Review: The In Cold Blood DVD is a very interesting movie to watch because it makes the reader get a better understanding of how the author; Truman Capote wrote the book. It is horrifying what Dick and Perry (the killers) do to the Clutter family. The sad part is that they were both psychologically bad from their minds, specially Perry. Truman Capote wrote an excellent book because he makes it interesting, puts in clues and makes us think what will happend next. The story also has a turning point where it starts to get interesting but at the same time confusing because it talks about the past of the killers. I recommend this book to anyone or someone that does not like reading. I think this is an interesting book to read.
Rating:
Summary: No Need For Blood
Review: The Murder of the four members of the Clutter family in 1959 was an incident described masterly by Truman capote. In 1967 the director Richard Brooks decides to put together his filmic experience and Capote's master piece to make a film recreating the event with a very realistic touch that makes this movie needless of blood and special effects to consider it disturbing.
The director makes a very realistic job by filming the movie with actors that look identical to the real murders and the clutter family members. He couldn't make a more faithful portrayal of the event in 1959 by making the movie in the same house where Mr. Clutter, his wife and their two young kids were murdered with a shotgun scarcely a few inches from their head. When the Murders get into the house, they don't use much violence but the setting of the scenes make them chilling throughout the terrible event. The shots are heard, but the faces of the Clutters being blown up are not shown. This doesn't take any disturbing element from the scenes. The combination of realistic components, and descriptions made by Capote make this movie have no need for blood in order to make it disturbing during the entire movie.
Rating:
Summary: Stark, impressive crime drama
Review: The stark black and white cinematography, the jazzy Quincy Jones soundtrack--this film is definitely of its era. Robert Blake and Scott Wilson are perfectly cast: the film is crisply directed (by Richard Brooks), and the script is economical and true to the spirit of the book. If I hadn't re-read the book recently, in fact, I think I would have found the film approached greatness. BUT with the book fresh in mind, I could see some of the short-cuts the filmmakers took, some of the compromises made with the text (and the truth? well, how fictionalized was the source book--that's another question). The most egregious example of a liberty taken with the text is the "flashback" Perry experiences while murdering Mr. Clutter. The filmmakers have him envisioning his own father's threatening to kill him (Perry)with a rifle. That kind of pat association is Hollywood hokum. It was not a connection that Capote drew in the text (although the actual incident of his father's murderous rage was indeed given ample space in the book). Still the film has a power that is undeniable, even 35 years after it was made. That's 35 years of film with much more gore and mayhem than you get here. It easily outclasses the 1996 television remake, although that effort also has its strong points and is, at least, worth seeing (contrary to what some others have written). This 1967 effort is the version that people will remember, however. Curiousity seekers who might view this in light of Robert Blake's recent alleged real-life "in cold blood" incident may be somewhat disappointed in the film's lack of sensationalism and near-documentary feel. Undeniably, Blake was born for this role, although the focus on his performance is actually somewhat unfair to Scott Wilson, who is every bit as good. John Forsythe is a little one-dimensional as investigator Dewey, who was much more interestingly portrayed in the book. The casting of real-life Holcombe, KS townspeople as themselves makes for an interesting cinematic footnote.
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Summary: Chiller Masterpiece
Review: The Sure hand of director Richard Brooks is all over this film. For the money much more frightening that any of these lousy (fx) films for sure. Wilson and Blake are perfect as the two who commit this ultra sick crime that head the headlines for so long. What takes place out on that Kansas plain you will not soon forget. CP
Rating:
Summary: Stark, harrowing depiction of murder and its aftermath
Review: This film depicts the murder of a Kansas farm family by a couple of ex-cons (Robert Blake and Scott Wilson) and its aftermath. Writer/director James Brooks, adapting Truman Capote's novel, adopts a stark black-and-white style that gives a sense of heightened realism. Blake and Wilson deliver great performances as a couple losers whose lives of reckless waste result in the ultimate tragedy for four people they had never even met. Brooks and crew do an exceptional job at presenting the kind of half-baked scheming that goes on in impulsive criminal minds, leading to random and senseless crimes that defy understanding by more rational people. As the film goes on, its anti-death-penalty stance becomes clear (most obviously in the juxtaposition of the film's title with its final image), but the ruthlessness of the crime and the skill with which it has been presented undercut this intention.
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Summary: In Cold Blood
Review: This film is a perfect match to the bestselling book by Truman Capote. A young Robert Blake gives a performance worth of an oscar. The terrible real life events portrayed are more chilling than anything modern day Hollywood can create with special effects wizardry. A sobering film, but one so brilliantly cast and directed it truly is a modern day crime masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, but I can't watch it
Review: This film is brilliantly made, and acted, but it is also the most disturbing film I've ever seen. The farmhouse murder scene is so sickeningly terrifying, it is imprinted on my memory decades after the initial viewing; in subsequent viewings, I've not been able to watch this part of the film. Robert Blake and the other guy are outstanding as the pathetic losers who don't understand the horror of their actions.
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