Synopsis
A drama centered around the relationship between journalist Michael Finkel and Christian Longo, an FBI Most Wanted List murderer who for years lived outside the U.S. under Finkel's name.
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Cast
- Jonah HillMichael Finkel
- James FrancoChristian Longo
- Felicity JonesJill Barker
- Maria DizziaMary Jane Longo
- Ethan SupleePat Frato
- Robert John BurkeGreg Ganley
- Charlotte DriscollSadie Longo
- Kohl SudduthPolice Officer
- Conor KikotZach Longo
- Stella Rae PayneMadison Longo
Recommendations
- 83
The Playlist
The film is exceptionally well-made... There is nothing warm about the style, yet it allows for moments of simmering tension, broken by a few emotional explosions that shatter its well-composed surface. - 75
Movie Nation
The reporter/convict dynamic doesn’t have enough layers to carry the film without some hint of mystery. The relationship between the two, chilling as it is, never raises this “Story” from generic to profound. - 70
Variety
While never as gripping as a good piece of fiction, Goold’s treatment actually manages to improve on the book, even if that meant fabricating a few things along the way. - 63
Slant Magazine
If the film's copycat visual artistry illuminates nothing, at least its script is sincerely devoted to probing Finkel and Longo's odd partnership. - 60
The Guardian
No one in the film is particularly likeable, and while the global implications about epistemology are interesting, the specifics of this particular case, at least rendered here, are quite dull. - 60
The Hollywood Reporter
Goold's work never feels stagey; a smart and varied visual sense opens up even settings as basic as a jail's visiting room. But what happens in that room isn't as convincing as might be expected from these actors. - 60
Screen Daily
Lead performances from Jonah Hill and James Franco are plenty impressive. But at the same time, True Story is almost too polished and clever for its own good, sacrificing complexity for a surface-y examination of the issues at play. - 58
Hitfix
While Longo's actions were horrifying and his connection to Finkel is unique, Goold somehow can't make this material as interesting as you'd expect it to be.
