The reviews for Josh Trank's Capone are in. Originally titled Fonzo, Trank's passion project was announced back in 2016. At the time, Trank was just coming off the critically-panned Fantastic Four. Thanks to those searing reviews, plus a lot of unfavorable press about the production, Fantastic Four knocked Trank off the A-list and effectively put him in director's jail. While Trank has recently opened up about his experience on Fantastic Four by sharing his story of what happened on Fox's reshoots and reflecting on the press the film received, it's clear Trank hopes to fully move on with Capone.
Heading straight to VOD tomorrow, May 12, Capone stars Tom Hardy as the infamous gangster. While previous projects centered on Capone's life examined his earlier years, Trank has opted to focus on the final stages. In the film, Capone has been released from prison and resides in his Florida mansion while coping with his neurosyphilis. Much of the film focuses on Capone's declining health and the inner-workings of his mind, but there's also a subplot about $10 million Capone has hidden somewhere that the FBI is eager to find. Capone also stars Linda Cardellini, Noel Fisher, Kyle MacLachlan, and Matt Dillon.
The critical consensus on Capone is in, and spoiler-free excerpts from reviews are ahead. You can click on the corresponding links to read the full reviews.
Chris Agar, Screen Rant
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.
David Rooney, THR
There are playful touches like having Capone tune in and out of a serialized radio drama about the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. But there's no mystery here, no intrigue, just needling recollections that chip away at Fonse's fragile psyche without ever encountering anything as concrete as atonement, remorse or self-reckoning. A more probing writer might have mined this material for contemporary relevance about blustering powerbrokers brought down by their dishonesty and ruthlessness.
Leah Greenblatt, EW
It also doesn’t help that Hardy, all guttural growls and tics, seems to be vying for the prize of Most Acting. As tempting a chew toy as the role may be, it comes off like a trap for him too — voiding his better, subtler instincts for the baser pleasures of getting to ramble and roar outrageously across the screen.
Steve Pond, The Wrap
For a while, the film seems to traffic in elegant creepiness and little character moments, but soon enough all hell breaks loose, bodily fluids start dripping and viewers have to make up their minds: Are you going to run from this whacked-out twilight of the gods, or give in to it?
Chris Evangelista, /Film
It’s all overly theatrical, and not at all concerned with being grounded in reality. And there’s something refreshing about seeing a gangster movie filtered through this sort of lens. Facts don’t matter here – it’s okay for Trank to stage weird sequences that have no basis in reality, because so much of the narrative is centered in Capone’s warped mind. Tidal waves, CGI alligators, characters who cut their own eyeballs out of their skulls – when was the last time you saw a movie about mobsters that had any of this stuff?
Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair
There is, alas, nothing enriching about Capone. It offers none of the robust competence these dwindling-culture times are running low on. Perhaps more dismayingly, it’s not even entertaining. The film’s arresting oddity is fleeting, and then we’re just made to sit with it for another humid 90 minutes. Saying that Capone is a disappointment would sound overdramatic in any other year—what was I expecting, Capote??—but here in the barren lands of 2020, I must admit I was a little let down.
David Ehrlich, indieWire
Long, repetitive shots of Hardy chomping on a cigar and staring off into the middle distance give way to unmotivated flashbacks, hostile delusions, and even a “Being John Malkovich”-esque trip through Capone’s heyday that reveals more about Trank’s budget than it does the gangster’s shriveling id (it’s telling that Capone’s only real moment of self-recognition comes in a scene where he watches a movie in his screening room, and sees himself reflected in another famous character’s search for courage).
Brian Truitt, USA Today
With shades of the Coen brothers and David Lynch, the wild character study (★★★ out of four; rated R; available on streaming platforms Tuesday) is one heck of a star vehicle for Tom Hardy, spitting, mumbling and screaming incomprehensibly in English and Italian (thank goodness for subtitles) as the infamous Al Capone. It’s also a redemptive comeback for writer/director Josh Trank after the high-profile crash-and-burn of his last film, 2015's "Fantastic Four." As nutty as “Capone” gets as a karmic fever dream for its violent subject, it’s also really watchable in a break-your-brain sort of way.
Capone currently stands at a 50% on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of this writing, indicating a very mixed response to Trank's film. While some praised Hardy's performance, there were others who agreed it was a bit too over the top and didn't allow for much nuance. In fact, it doesn't seem like there's much nuance to be found anywhere in Capone; it lacks subtlety, especially in the case of Capone's flailing health. Several reviews made note of the sagging diaper the former gangster wears, which might end up turning some people off.
Many, including Trank, hoped Capone could be a return to form for the Chronicle director, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. There may be some who end up enjoying Capone, but the more negative reviews indicate it won't be as adored as Trank's first film. Still, it could end up finding an audience in those staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic, especially in the case of adults who haven't been gifted with many new films lately. On the other hand, viewers might not relish the idea of watching a dementia-ridden Hardy running around with a gun. It all depends on one's tastes.
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