True Story

'True Story' explores a scary real-life incident & tries to make an awkward friendship tale out of it. Well, almost. And sadly, not all of it works, but with some powerful moments & Strong Performances going its way, the film scores on some levels.

'True Story' Synopsis: When disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel (Jonah Hill) meets accused killer Christian Longo (James Franco) - who has taken on Finkel's identity - his investigation morphs into a game of cat-and-mouse.

'True Story' begins grippingly & you're invested in the journey of these two disgraced men, one far more than the other of course. But, the pace slackens as the narrative proceeds. The second-hour lacks the punch, although the goings-on become quite intense in its penultimate moments. Nonetheless, the Writing needed some stronger stuff.

David Kajganich & Rupert Goold's Screenplay, which is Based on the memoir of the same name by Michael Finkel, is greatly Written in parts, but doesn't come across as solid overall. As mentioned earlier, the second-hour doesn't have the moments it should have. Rupert Goold's Direction is controlled & well-done. Cinematography is atmospheric. Editing is finely done.

Performance-Wise: Jonah Hill is in very good form, yet again! Hill, now a versatile actor known by all, sinks his teeth into the part & enacts the disgraced man, with great maturity. James Franco is top-notch. His performance is so good, that you actually want to believe him & want him free of the heinous crime he's accused of. Felicity Jones, besides looking stunning, takes a terrific turn, as the morally strong minded woman.

On the whole, 'True Story' isn't very engaging always, but the performances are.

"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.

if you'd asked me to rate this half way through, i'd say it was at least 8 or 9, everything was well done, a well made film that had you guessing and the cast was great...

but then you realise there was no clever ending, no twist, no moment where all the pieces come together... unfortunately, at the title suggests, this is a true story, and the reality is there is no real story to tell.

really disappointing, missed opportunity in my opinion as the cast was perfect, the tension was built up, the filming was so well done... for nothing.

True stories... are often boring, people argue that 'that's what really happened'... that's fine but many things happen, every day, they just don't need multi million pound films made about them.

Saw True Story (film) starring Jonah Hill, James Franco, and Felicity Jones at Regal Cinemas last night! The film is based on actual events. It was very unusual, yet interesting and visually stimulating to see both Jonah and James playing roles so out of their ordinary type. Hill portrays Michael Finkel, The New York Times journalist who is subsequently terminated by the paper after being accused of incomplete research and creating a composite character, a boy named Youssouf Male while covering a story in an article about Ivory Coast Cocoa Plantations.

After being let go by the Times, Finkel (Hill) struggles to find journalistic job opportunities until one day he receives a mysterious phone call from a man regarding an FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation Most Wanted individual named Christian Longo, portrayed by Franco, who is wanted for murdering his entire family and is eventually captured in México while claiming to be living as Finkel. Finkel decides this is an opportunity story of a life time, so he meets with Longo trying to figure out why his now tarnished journalistic name was used by this accused murderer.

Finkel agrees to share his journalistic expertise with Longo in exchange for information regarding the murders for his Murder Memoir which tells a "True Story" regarding the events portrayed in the film. While in Newport, Oregon County Jail awaiting trial, Longo corresponds with Finkel via U.S. Mail, sending him written clues which appear to be confusing and misleading about his family life, yet enough information to put the pieces of the puzzle together and compile a Murder Memoir. Finkel attends the trial and at the end he uncovers the "True Story."

The film has several twists and turns which will keep you interested. It was cool to see both Hill and Franco play roles no one would ever think they would take on. Both actors handled this "True Story" film brilliantly! Not a must see, but definitely worth seeing if you want to experience these veteran actor Academy Award Nominees in diverse roles. My cinema score is 7/10! ‪#‎maverickradio‬™

True Story is based on the novel by Mike Finkel recounting his relationship with Christian Longo(James Franco), a man accused of murdering his wife and three children. Finkel(Jonah Hill)is a young up and coming journalist writing for the New York Times when his career is derailed after he plays a little fast and loose with some facts of a recently published article. While trying to plan the next chapter in his professional life he receives a call from a reporter looking to get an angle on the story about Longo. It seems that he was using Finkel's identity when he was captured in Mexico. Finkel is naturally curious but also smells a story that could put his career back on track.

Finkel and Longo arrange to meet and what follows are a series of meetings where both men engage in a dialogue meant to extract as much information as possible from the other. But how much of what Longo shares is the truth? How does Finkel use the information he gets?

The main problem with this movie is the pay-off, or the lack thereof. The story is simply not as interesting as it sounds. Honestly, it's no ones fault. The direction by first timer Rupert Goold is solid, well paced, and true to the story. The acting is good even if it is a little weird to see Hill and Franco together in serious roles. The best way to describe it might be we all know someone(friend or family member) who is excited to tell a story of something that happened to them or something they witnessed and when they are done, looking to you for a reaction, all you can say is "Is that it?"

The most compelling aspect of the film is Finkel coming to grips with the fact that he has to determining what is the truth and what is a lie. Not unlike his readers had to do after reading his last story for the Times. One liar interrogating another.

In the end, the build up leads to very little. The ride was interesting but the destination was a big disappointment.