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When disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel meets accused killer Christian Longo – who has taken on Finkel’s identity – his investigation morphs into a game of cat-and-mouse.
Director Rupert Goold knew exactly what he was doing by developing two totally different characters into one attention-hungry soul with a mirrored reflection of itself. Michael Finkel (Jonah Hill) is a simple man who is trying to make an honest living as a reporter for the New York Times. The one story that he feels will be a breakthrough in his career starts to backfire almost immediately as it lands a coveted magazine cover. So caught up in the inhumane nature of bondage in the story, he misconstrues the facts, and when called on it by his boss and unable to justify the information, he is promptly relieved of his position. With his reputation ruined and his credibility destroyed, he leaves Mexico and returns to Montana to get a fresh start and rekindle the romance with his girlfriend.
With his credibility still being questioned on every attempt he makes to start anew, Michael loses confidence and begins to question his true purpose in life. After receiving a phone tip that a murderer has taken on his identity, Michael steps into full gear to investigate why this thief has chosen a basic person such as himself to take on the identity of. Christian Longo (James Franco) enters the picture as a well-intentioned psychopath who has single-handedly redirected Michael Finkel’s entire life’s work by forcing him to question his own beliefs about who he actually is and what he is capable of.
The strangeness begins when a relationship develops between the two and starts to make sense in spite of every logical and dysfunctional reason why it shouldn’t. The strength of each of these characters lies in their weaknesses, and their ability to manipulate each other with the same tactics from totally different perspectives. This love-hate relationship takes twists and turns throughout Christian’s initial arrest, court proceedings and jail time, leaving the viewer desperate to deem Michael clueless for falling for every element of deception imaginable. In the end, there is relief that Michael isn’t as totally naive as we’re lead to believe and Christian doesn’t get away with the murder of his wife and children that he thought he would. The film is both entertaining and compelling and each of these actors should be commended for playing realistic and believable roles in a story that admittedly seems too good to be true. Don’t miss it!
“True Story” opens in select theaters Friday, April 17th
