CBS's two-part, four-hour remake of "In Cold Blood" is a very good TV movie.
But it begs the question - why does Hollywood insist on remaking good movies? Is it really necessary?Actually, no.
The 1967 film "In Cold Blood" is still a very good movie. And, other than network profits, there was no reason to remake it.
Not that the two are exactly the same. There are great similarities, of course, because both are based on Truman Capote's book. But there are also differences.
"In Cold Blood," which airs Sunday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Ch. 2, centers on the Nov. 15, 1959, murders of Kansas farmer Herb Clutter, his wife and his two teenage children. The two killers, ex-cons Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, were soon apprehended, tried and sentenced to death. They were hanged in 1965.
The case attracted the attention of Capote, whose book was made into Richard Brooks' stark, black-and-white film in 1967. Scott Wilson played Dick, and Robert Blake took on the role of Perry.
This time around, Anthony Edwards ("ER") is Dick, and Eric Roberts is Perry - and, with an extra 50 minutes or so, the TV movie delves more into their warped personalities.
(The original movie ran two hours and 14 minutes. What with the commercials, the four-hour TV movie runs three hours and four minutes.)
The biggest difference between the 1967 film and this TV movie, however, is the treatment of the Clutters. Most of those extra minutes go to the victims, allowing viewers to get to know them before they're murdered.
And, unlike the original, the victims are remembered in the TV movie's final moments.
In structure, however, the movies are much the same. The first half deals with Dick and Perry on their way to the Clutter farm, where they mistakenly believe $10,000 is stashed in the safe. Part 1 ends just before the murders take place - and part 2 opens with the discovery of the bodies the next day.
In both cases, the actual slayings aren't portrayed until almost the end of the movie, when they're recounted by the killer.
And, believe it or not, the TV movie also goes to black and white (with a bit of sepia tone) to do that scene.
To the credit of director Jonathan Kaplan, the TV version of "In Cold Blood" uses great restraint in its portrayal of the violence. In a style reminiscent of the original film, the murders are shown in shadows and with cut-aways.
It's just as horrifying without the guts and gore - a lesson more TV and movie producers should relearn.
(The bloodier scenes come early in Part 2, with shots of blood on the walls, bloody bedding and even a blood-spattered teddy bear.)
Edwards and Roberts both do fine jobs as the incredibly messed-up killers. The supporting cast is strong, led by excellent performances by Kevin Tigh (as Herb Clutter) and Sam Neill (as the lead police investigator).
But, the TV version of "In Cold Blood" somehow lacks the impact of its movie predecessor.
Part of that may just be timing. In 1967, the story of a family of four brutally and senselessly murdered was shocking. In 1996, it's far from uncommon. Sadly, we're numb to stories like this.
There's also the fact that "In Cold Blood" has been done before. And done well.
Unless you're going to remake something into a significantly better product, why bother?
FAR FROM "PERFECT": If I have to review another TV movie about bulimia and anorexia, I'm going to throw up.
OK, that's rather harsh. And bulimia and anorexia are certainly serious problems.
But television has done the eating disorders to death. (No pun intended.) Not only have bulimia and/-or anorexia been used as plotlines on uncountable daytime and prime-time series, but the networks have been churning out movies and afterschool specials about the disorders ad nauseum. And the latest, "Dying to Be Perfect: The Ellen Hart Pena Story" adds nothing new to the genre.
"Dying to be Perfect" (Sunday, 8 p.m., Ch. 4) is based on the true story (naturally) of a world-class runner (Crystal Bernard of "Wings") who marries the mayor of Denver (Esai Morales). It's designed to be touching and inspirational, but it comes off as trite and hackneyed.
Bulimia and anorexia are, again, serious problems. But that message is lessened when movies like "Dying to be Perfect" treat them like cookie-cutter plot devices.
NO MONSTER: ABC is touting "Loch Ness," its Saturday (7 p.m., Ch. 4) movie, as a world premiere.
But that's only because the project, a 1994 production that was supposed to be a theatrical release, was so bad it has sat on the shelf for a couple of years.
It's not scary. It's not smart. It's not well-acted (Ted Danson looks just plain silly). It's not worth watching.