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Auto Focus Bob Crane is one of those guys who always exists in our minds as one character that he played on TV. That's mostly because Hogan's Heroes was the only significant work he ever did on TV or in movies. While you might have believed that his unfortunate, one hit wonder career was due to typecasting, Auto Focus lets the rest of us in on the dirty truth about Bob Crane's off camera life, obsession with sex and hobby of taping it in vivid detail. Greg Kinnear plays Crane, who rose to stardom as Colonel Hogan in Hogan's Heroes. We follow his rise from morning radio host to star of Hogan's Heroes. However, we also see his troubled off screen life which included his obsessive interest in women, sex and swinging, and how this life led to career suicide and may have led to his own brutal death. I was having trouble writing my review for Frida before I saw this film, but Auto Focus reminded me what a biographical picture like this should be trying to accomplish. Auto Focus goes beyond recreating the well-known moments, and delves into Crane's off camera life with great fervor. While Crane's rise to stardom is a good story, Auto Focus succeeds by following the more interesting and tragic story of his career's descent. Writer Michael Gerbosi does a wonderful job of showing the audience how Crane's popularity contributed to his downfall by showing how easy it was for him to seduce women as a TV star, and the sycophants who were willing to enable his inner demons for their own personal gain and gratification. Also, Gerbosi and director Paul Schrader are able to set up an amazing dynamic between Bob Crane and John Carpenter (Willem Dafoe), a man he befriended for years as they went to clubs together, hunted for women together and taped their exploits. While we see how Carpenter used Crane to elevate his status in the world, Gerbosi and Schrader show us how both men are sycophants and both are enabling each other. Carpenter makes it easier for Crane to explore his dark, seedy side, while Crane is able to open doors for Carpenter that only stardom can. It's fascinating to watch especially since both actors are so skilled. Kinnear is brilliant as the likable everyman who harbored an obsession with sex that he was only able to control for so long. It's a performance that gets better as you think about. Kinnear doesn't chew up the scenery or grab the spotlight like a De Niro or Pacino. However, he gently and effectively guides the character along the bumpy, tragic road without melodrama and much more believably. I guess the word is subtle. Kinnear does a fine job with Crane's public persona, but he deserves credit for portraying the embattled, hurting, devastated Crane who realized that he has ruined his life. He is best in the scenes where Crane knows he must change, must control these demons, but can't. Kinnear, along with some good writing from Gerbosi, also does a great job showing us that Crane often didn't think there was anything wrong with him. He makes us believe that he has a beef with society's morals, but also leaves the door open by hinting that Crane might be using that as a defense mechanism to deny that he has a problem. This is the performance that will make you and everyone finally believe that Greg Kinnear is one of the great actors in Hollywood today. Willem Dafoe also is wonderful as John Carpenter, the tech geek that joins Crane on his sexual misadventures. He brings a palpable creepiness to the character that you would expect from Dafoe, but he also shows us that Carpenter is more than just a pervert. Dafoe, also with some help from writer Gerbosi, shows us Carpenter's odd charm, ability to use the famous people he runs across for his own personal gain, and the friendship that he truly felt for Crane. The two men helped each other believe that what they were doing was OK. While the film only sheds minor light on Crane's fateful, tragic, unsolved murder, Auto Focus is one of the finest movies of the year. Grade: A Copyright 2002 - WaffleMovies.com
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