Yes, it's another movie about Truman Capote. However familiar the subject, Douglas McGrath's Infamous quickly establishes its own rhythm, shuffling with ease between an amusing look at New York social butterflyism and the darker, sardonic Kansas segments, aided by stellar performances from Daniel Craig and Jeff Daniels. Even better still—somewhat surprisingly—is Sandra Bullock as Harper Lee, whose unpushy, Southern-fried minimalism proves an ideal sounding board for the flamboyance of the main character.

Drawing on George Plimpton's book, McGrath's script covers the same basic ground as last year's Capote— namely, the events that led the author to pen the landmark nonfiction novel In Cold Blood—yet with a far greater emphasis on the author's notorious, self-perpetuated gadfly status. As a result, rather than cancel each other out, both films actually complement each other, working as differently angled views of a fascinatingly slippery character.

Admittedly, the depiction of said main character does have to deal with a rather large elephant in the room, given Philip Seymour Hoffman's towering performance just last year. As Capote, the relatively unknown Toby Jones certainly has an edge in the physical department—with his hobbitish features and nasal drone, he gives the suspicion that he was grown in a lab somewhere for this express purpose—and his lolling ease of impersonation permeates the film. McGrath and Jones can't match the intensity of the earlier film or actor—perhaps by design—but their knowingly glib, facile tone makes for an entertaining, occasionally bitter, night out. Besides, as its subject would most likely attest, it's not always the freshness of the story that matters, but the nature of the riff.