If the filmmakers kept the focus on Blake and Wilson (both perfectly cast), instead of forcing a number of unnecessary supporting players into the narrative, this might have been a masterpiece, As it stands, the movie has stretches of utter genius that are brought to a grinding halt whenever the cops and reporters start blabbering to one another.

It's unclear if the title relates to the murders or the capital punishment charges hen meted out. Nowhere near as good as the book and that's why it's hard to rate higher. Not bad though. Bought this one on DVD a long time back but wanted to make sure I read the book before watching and pleased that I did so.

I don't know about the original novel. The style, cinematography is impressive and I think ahead for the time.

When they talk about perfectly edited movies, this should be one of the prime examples of editing.

Based on Truman Capote's book, In Cold Blood tells the story of Perry Smith (Robert Blake) and Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson), two career criminals who murder a Kansas family while committing a horribly botched home robbery. Despite a distracting and cloying jazz score that mars the first half of the film, In Cold Blood is a powerful indictment of America's barbaric crime and punishment issue. The movie features strong performances from Wilson and Blake, both of whom give their heinous characters a sense of humanity. Bolstered by stark black and white cinematography, In Cold Blood will no doubt spark debate regarding both the root cause of crime and the perceived value of capital punishment.

The critics rating is way too low. One of the best movies of the 60’s, with great performances and landmark, beautiful B&W photography (unfortunately released the year that fell out of favor almost permanently).

An intentionally colorless and stirring crime drama featuring some very modernistic cinematography and a pulsating moody jazz score.

While the film attempts to make some sort of statement of the random nature of violent crime and the circumstances that might lead an otherwise relatively normal individual to commit a terrible act, to me it feels lopsided, focusing too much on the murderers rather than the brutality and seemingly arbitrary nature of the Clutter's murder, and throwing in vague thriller elements from the perspective of law enforcement that actually take away from the rest of the film. Confining the perspective to the victims and perpetrators, only referring to the authorities as a sort of divine or alien third party, would have elevated the tension and the quality of the film overall, especially given how convincing both Blake and Wilson are in their respective roles. Oftentimes the film just feels too overt in its musings, as when two random detectives witnessing the final executions, one young and idealistic, the other a jaded veteran, debate on the pointless nature of the murders and the executions. While this novel take on the noir may not be to everybody's particular tastes, the cinematography and performances each speak for themselves. (3.5/5)

What initially unfolds as an admittedly unimpressive blow-by-blow of the infamous event in question ultimately culminates into an appropriately unnerving look at the disintegration of humanity and the frigid realities of our world's understanding of justice. Richard Brooks's adaptation of Truman Capote's legendary "non-fiction novel" of the same name, "In Cold Blood" — if nothing else — successfully performs one of the more dangerous high-wire acts I've seen a movie try to pull off in quite a while. This is a movie that forces you to not only identify with those who have unspeakable crimes committed against them, but the individuals who commit said crimes. It's a gamble, but in the end, I found myself watching the movie's final moments with a quickened pulse and whitened knuckles. Why? Could it be the cinematography? The commendable acting and dialogue? Or could it be that, in depicting every event with such docudramatic flair, Brooks and Co. really, truly succeed in making you feel like an accomplice to the whole thing? Either way, "In Cold Blood's" final moments will forever haunt me. Time for a shower.

It's hard to find a drop of sympathy for these characters.

Based on Truman Capote's famous true crime novel, this adaptation explores the events before, during and after the Clutter family murder by showing us the actions of ex-convicts Perry Smith and Richard "Dick" Hickock and the way how they face the realities of their terrible crime by coming to terms with their own mortality. Despite giving a realistic perspective of the whole thing, it is really difficult to feel sympathy for them, which is what Capote supposedly intended to convey. I might have to read that book.

A sangre fría [1967]

I first saw this movie in 1968 on television as a child and believe me it has stood the test of time. I still get teary eyed at the look on the teenage daughters face just before she's murdered.

In Cold Blood, in all its technical flaws, is worth seeing simply for the ending: one of the most powerful, terrifying pieces of film you'll ever see.

A very faithful (to the book) adaptation.

With the realistic performances and invisible direction, Brooks is able to make a drama that is more closely a highly-entertaining documentary. The time-capsule, neutral commentary on the American lifestyle and capital punishment is justly needed. But it is the sharp cinematography that's the most remarkable as it is able to speak a story of its own with quietly poignant imagery.

Well crafted and brilliance performed by all movie.

On of the greatest movies of all time, but disturbing all the same.

This is a sort of transitional true crime film. It bridges the gap between an older, Hollywood studio style of film and the more realistic, gritty way these kinds of films would be treated later on. The film works about 50% for me. The material with Scott Wilson and Robert Blake is astonishing. When the film turns to the police and the press, it feels stodgy and old fashioned ... and has a 1960's preoccupation with psychology as the explanation for everything. Visually it's a masterpiece. Conrad Hall's B&W cinematography is some of the best ever done.

A somewhat documentary feel B&W film that captures the brutal & motiveless murder of the Klutter Family on a Kansas Farm. The film tries as best as possible to get into the heads of the two killers & that's truly to the credit of Truman Capote's genius writing. Perry is by far the most emotionally complicated of the killers that you know there is humanity somewhere under that evil. A incredibly complicated portrayal of these men & challenges the audience, no doubt an important film.