Auto Focus film review

certificate_18

AUTO FOCUS

Bob Crane became a star in America in the mid-sixties when he landed the title role in the network comedy Hogan's Heroes. His star, like the show itself, was fairly quick to fade and he ended up performing 'dinner theatre' across the country before his premature death in 1978. By this point he had achieved another form of notoriety: his lurid sexual antics and near public admissions of his swinging lifestyle made sure he would become one of the curious footnotes to American popular culture in the latter part of the century.

Paul Schrader's biopic starts off in traditional style. All bright colours and full of acutely observed settings, we are introduced to DJ Bob, a wacky (think Chris Evans in the 1960s) radio presenter recently arrived in LA. But Bob has big dreams for both himself and his family. His constant harassing of his agent finally leads to his big break with the offer of the lead in a national tv comedy. The subject matter may have been slightly awkward: it was set in a German POW camp but Crane was only too keen to jump at what he saw was his big break.

And he was right. Hogan's Heroes became a hit, albeit not a smash. It peaked at seven in the TV ratings, but managed to last six series and over 180 episodes. These were six years that would see Crane's social and mental world alter forever.

In spite of being the perky family man when he landed the part, Crane was easily swayed. Lured by the confident video camera salesman John Carpenter (Willem Dafoe), he became fascinated by what the idea of home video recording could provide him. Realising that his celebrity granted him an easy supply of girls, his natural assumption was to film all of his conquests, be they one on one, with Carpenter or even at public parties. Soon he was divorced and being shunned by the industry, sacked by Disney after the lamentable Superdad. Yet he doggedly refused to change his ways and despite some animosity between the two, the charming Carpenter remained his partner in crime.

Greg Kinnear gives a career best performance. He is utterly convincing from the moment we see him as the crazy young dj to the final, older and much sadder Crane. The ageing of the character and the shifts in his value systems are brilliantly portrayed, as is Crane's quasi-desperate belief that he is doing nothing unusual. Dafoe is equally good as his sidekick: greasy, charming, repellent yet charismatic he provides the perfect foil.