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Capone Review: Josh Trank & Tom Hardy Can't Hit The Mark
First announced back in 2016, director Josh Trank's Al Capone biopic, Capone (previously known as Fonzo), is finally seeing the light of day. The project is something of a potential comeback vehicle for the filmmaker, whose previous movie was the infamous Fantastic Four reboot that bombed at the box office and was critically panned. Studio interference most definitely played a role in how Fantastic Four turned out, so viewers were interested in seeing if Trank could recapture the promise he showed on 2012's Chronicle working on an independent crime drama. Sadly, he misses the mark here. Capone has lofty ambitions of being the next great crime drama, but falls short of finding a compelling story about its subject's final days.
Tom Hardy stars in Capone as the iconic gangster, who is suffering from dementia following a lengthy prison sentence. Living in his lavish Florida home under government surveillance, Capone's wife Mae (Linda Cardellini), son Junior (Noel Fisher), and others care for him as his mental and physical health continues to deteriorate. Capone struggles to maintain his grip on reality as his situation becomes more dire and he tries to unpack the mystery surrounding $10 million he apparently hid somewhere.
Capone looks to differentiate itself from other entries in the crime genre by focusing solely on the very end of Capone's life and all the hardships that entailed. On-paper, it's an interesting approach to take, and in some respects it works fairly well. Seeing a broken Capone sitting on the extravagant estate makes for an eye-catching visual juxtaposition, referencing his past while illustrating how far he's fallen. Trank also incorporates a radio dramatization of the St. Valentine's Day massacre to remind viewers of the person Capone was. However, these are surface-level details that can't make up for shortcomings in the script (which Trank also wrote). Capone isn't always the most interesting watch on a narrative level, despite having a pair of through-lines that try to give it some structure. Neither is resolved in a satisfying way, negatively affecting the impact of the film, and even worse, making viewers wonder what the point was.
Given the material of Capone, the film was in need of a savvy and experienced helmsman to handle the delicate story at its core. Sadly, Trank isn't fully up for the task. Capone's depiction of a mentally-ill Capone frequently teeters between tragedy and unintentional comedy depending on the situation. It's clear Trank wanted viewers to feel sympathy for this version of Capone, who is haunted by his past and dealing with a medical condition beyond his control, but it doesn't always work. Sequences that highlight Capone's fractured mental state have a tendency to run on for too long, without adding much of value to the story. Others, unfortunately, are better at making Capone seem like a stereotypical "crazy person" than digging deeper and finding nuance. Trank deserves some credit for attempting to tackle an ambitious project (combining crime with psychological horror elements), but the feeling is he's out of his wheelhouse here.
Hardy gives Capone a big name to draw people in, getting through another performance with one of his trademark "funny" voices (whether one adjusts to it or not will depend on the viewer). In some respects, this is a transformative role for Hardy; it's almost impossible to look away when he's onscreen. But that is more of a testament to the Capone makeup team going the extra mile to alter Hardy's physical appearance than what the actor's doing. This isn't to say he's bad in the role, but the script makes it so this isn't the best use of the Academy Award nominee's talents. Most watching Capone will know Hardy is capable of more. As for the supporting cast, all the parts here are thinly-written and don't give the actors much to work with. Even the meatier roles like Mae and Capone's friend Johnny (Matt Dillon) are largely two-dimensional.
Ultimately, Capone plays like an attempt to make a feature film out of The Irishman's final stretch, only minus the gravitas and emotional poignancy of that picture. One can see what Trank is aiming for, but Capone largely misses its marks more often than not. The film might have benefitted from being a little longer (it clocks in at under two hours), giving it more room to flesh out its core story. Even though this focuses on one year of Capone's life, the end result is still thin and feels like it could have dug deeper. The lack of new releases may encourage viewers to check this one out for something to watch, but unless one is a die-hard fan of Hardy or crime dramas, this messy film doesn't have much to offer.
Capone is available on VOD May 12, 2020. It runs 103 minutes and is rated R for strong/bloody violence, pervasive language, and some sexuality.
Capone (2020)
Release Date: May 12, 2020
