PLOT: The last year in the life of legendary gangster Al Capone (Tom Hardy), as he suffers the effects of Tertiary Syphilis.
REVIEW: Everyone reading this is no doubt aware of director Josh Trank’s history, with his FANTASTIC FOUR reboot arguably one of the biggest big-screen debacles of the last decade or so. The gist of it was that Trank was unable to deliver the film he wanted to the studio, which no doubt was expecting something commercial. Watching CAPONE, which is undiluted Trank working at his most extreme, it seems that making a film commercial or accessible is low on his list of priorities. CAPONE, which really should still be going by its original name, FONZO (referring to the name Capone’s family called him) is pretty extreme from a mainstream movie. It’s no wonder that he had a hard time getting studio distribution and it's utterly uncompromising. Trank attempts to do a David Cronenberg or David Lynch style movie, a move that’s a major reset for his career. Yet, it can’t be denied that the film, while stylish and well made, is a tough watch from start to finish.
One thing this is not is a gangster film. One of my issues with CAPONE is that I feel like Trank, who also wrote the screenplay, doesn’t know or care about anything in Capone’s history. There’s no real, compelling reason that this even has to be a Capone biopic other than the name recognition, as Hardy could be playing any old gangster. The film is a tough slog – imagine the last ten minutes of THE IRISHMAN but as a 100-minute film. Hardy goes all in, too much so perhaps, as the growling, snarling Capone.
The film depicts him succumbing to dementia, while suffering through late-stage syphillis, being in a constantly confused state, but being propped up by a Dr. Feelgood, played by Kyle McLachlan, who keeps him alive on the off chance that he may reveal where he’s hidden 10 million bucks, something Capone says he knows he did, but can’t remember where. Hardy’s never been subtle, and if ever he’s showboated as an actor or been accused of chewing scenery, CAPONE resets the bar, either high or low depending on your opinion of him.
Here’s one of the film’s big problems: Capone never feels like a real person. The movie depicts him as a festering monster. There’s no semblance at all of what the real Capone might have been like. There’s no empathy. Whether or not Capone deserves such treatment is up for debate, but it makes him a tough character to watch for 100 minutes. Trank also plays fast and loose with his style, introducing characters in “the real world” (interacting with each other while Capone’s off-screen) but then changing the rules so that they don’t exist. It’s a messy cheat. Trank also gives in to his baser instincts, shoehorning in Grand Guignol gore scenes that are more Caligula than reality-based, making them exist as fantasies in Capone’s mind – as if he had to put in a certain amount of carnage just to make the film play to an “extreme” crowd.
That said, CAPONE also isn’t a film that can be easily dismissed. You have to give Trank credit for making a wildly unconventional film, and even if it’s not necessarily entertaining, you can’t deny that it’s well made. For one thing, it’s very well-paced and I was surprised at how quick the 100-minute running time went by, as a movie like this, in less skilled hands, could have seemed endless. The visual style- helped immeasurably by David Lynch’s DP Peter Deming -is terrific, and the production design and casting are all pretty perfect. Linda Cardellini is excellent as Capone’s devoted wife, and Matt Dillon (always underrated) has a solid role as one of Al’s old cronies. Of course, McLachlan is fun to watch as well. I also liked the sparse score by EL-P – a rapper/record producer who gives the soundtrack an avant-garde feel that matches the film.
However, the fact remains that CAPONE is still an exercise in excess, both in terms of Trank challenging (and repelling) his audience, and Hardy going perhaps more over the top than he ever has. If you thought he was tough to understand as Bane, you ain’t seen nothing yet. As a result, you can’t put this one in squarely as a love it or hate it kind of film. I can’t say I loved it or even liked it, but you also can’t dismiss it. It’s too well made for that. Ultimately, I respect it enough to give it a pass, but I have serious doubts as to whether or not a movie like this ever has a chance of finding an audience.