Capone (2020)
The story of Al Capone has captivated many with his journey from brutal Chicago mob boss to prisoner in the iconic Alcatraz Federal Prison. The majority of media exploring Al Capone's life takes place somewhere in this period of his life but Josh Trank decided to take a different approach with his new film Capone. Focusing on the deteriorating Al Capone (Tom Hardy) during his last year of life, Capone tries to bring to life just how far gone the once iconic mobster was during this time and how it impacted those around him. Starring a talented actor like Tom Hardy and offering a fresh perspective on such an iconic individual, on paper Capone seemed like it really could have been something special but much like the titular character ends up shitting the bed.
Easily the most disappointing aspect of Capone is the performance by Tom Hardy. Even if the screenplay also coming from Josh Trank was bad, Hardy is an actor who could overcome bad dialogue to give at a captivating performance at least on some level. Unfortunately due to a mixture of distracting makeup and incoherent understandings of the character from various sources leads to an overall ineffective and disappointing performance. It almost never feels like Hardy and the filmmakers are on the same page as far as what Capone's mental state should be and consistently feels cheap and empty. If there was a single performance to actually stand out within the film it would be Linda Cardellini who plays Capone's wife Mae. Cardellini easily gives the most emotionally powerful and memorable performance as she sells the emotional toll Capone's medical complications have caused her. Seeing her husband slowly lose his mind is scarring and creates daily struggles that Mae has to overcome and work through while also being there emotionally for her son who is going through his own stages of grief and acceptance.
One of the many reasons that the character of Al Capone struggles so much to leave an impact is due to there is no set up to his character giving the audience no reason to care. If this came at the end of a retelling of his life making the events that haunt Capone mean something and really defining how far Capone had deteriorated, the results would be haunting. Instead, the film jumps straight to the end of the story failing to put any weight on the consequences featured. Where the specific details of Capone's mental deterioration fail to say anything meaningful, there are at least some broader ideas that start to reveal themselves. Capone promises that he has hidden $10,000,000 in cash somewhere but cannot remember where. There are some in Capone's life such as Mae who are legitimately there for Capone, others are there simply trying to secure the location to his money. This idea of legacy and who ultimately will be there for someone on their deathbed could have been one of the more emotionally charged aspects of the film but fails to become the focus at really any point.
Capone might have worked as a heavy conclusion to a bigger exploration of the iconic figures' life but on its own fails to leave an impact. It is an incoherent and confusing look at the suffering caused by Capone losing his mind which only has scattered moments of actual emotional catharsis. Even with increased time to watch films, it is hard recommending giving Capone a try.
Capone might have worked as a heavy conclusion to a bigger exploration of the iconic figures' life but on its own fails to leave an impact. It is an incoherent and confusing look at the suffering caused by Capone losing his mind which only has scattered moments of actual emotional catharsis. Even with increased time to watch films, it is hard recommending giving Capone a try.