I didn't know very much about Bob Crane (or even about "Hogan's Heroes") when "Auto Focus" came out, but the story shocked me. More than simply looking at his obsession with snuff films, the movie itself is like two movies. At the beginning, everything looks all rosy and idealistic, but by the end, everything is grim and outright bleak. We might say that this represents not only Crane's lifestyle, but the world around him: when "Hogan's Heroes" debuted, our nationwide mentality was still one of innocence and optimism; by the time that the show ended, we were living in a world of cynicism. The movie does a good, if unpleasant, job showing that.
As for the movie itself, Greg Kinnear is intense as Crane, showing him starting out as a nice family man (at least he appears to be), but becoming very screwed up as time goes by. Willem Dafoe, as Crane's partner-in-porn John Carpenter (not the horror director), has a role as nasty as the Green Goblin, and makes the most of it. Also starring are Rita Wilson as Crane's first wife Anne, Maria Bello as the woman who co-starred on the show, and also Ron Leibman, Ed Begley Jr and Michael McKean.
Pretty good.
As for the movie itself, Greg Kinnear is intense as Crane, showing him starting out as a nice family man (at least he appears to be), but becoming very screwed up as time goes by. Willem Dafoe, as Crane's partner-in-porn John Carpenter (not the horror director), has a role as nasty as the Green Goblin, and makes the most of it. Also starring are Rita Wilson as Crane's first wife Anne, Maria Bello as the woman who co-starred on the show, and also Ron Leibman, Ed Begley Jr and Michael McKean.
Pretty good.