Plot
When disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel meets accused killer Christian Longo - who has taken on Finkel's identity - his investigation morphs into a game of cat-and-mouse.

Release Year: 2015

Rating: 8.3/10 (334 voted)

Critic's Score: 62/100

Director: Rupert Goold

Stars: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Felicity Jones

Storyline
Jonah Hill plays Michael Finkel, a recently terminated New York Times journalist who's struggling for work after a story gone wrong. One day, he receives a phone call from a man regarding an FBI Most Wanted individual named Christian Longo, who's been captured and claimed to be living as Finkel. Longo and Finkel meet and form a potentially marriage shattering bond while Longo is in prison awaiting his trial. Finkel exchanges journalism tips for the real events behind Longo's alleged heinous acts of murdering his family. Through the twists and turns in the movie, only at the end will Finkel uncover the True Story.

Writers: Michael Finkel, Rupert Goold

Cast:
James Franco - Christian Longo
Felicity Jones - Jill
Jonah Hill - Michael Finkel
Ethan Suplee -
Genevieve Angelson - Tina Alvis
Gretchen Mol - Karen
Maria Dizzia - Mary Jane Longo
Betty Gilpin - Cheryl
Robert John Burke - Greg Ganley
Joel Marsh Garland - Dan Pegg
John Sharian - Sheriff
Dana Eskelson - Joy Longo
Auden Thornton - Lena
Robert Stanton - Jeffrey Gregg
Rebecca Henderson - Ellen Parks

Taglines: Some stories are beyond belief

Country: USA

Language: English

Release Date: 17 April 2015

Filming Locations: Warwick, New York, USA

Technical Specs

Runtime: 100 min

Trivia:
Rupert Goold's theatrical directorial debut. See more »

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In 2002, two seemingly unrelated events brought Christian Longo (Jonah Hill) and Michael Finkel (James Franco) into each other's lives. While Finkel was getting fired from a writing gig at the New York Times for fabricating details about a cover story, Longo had murdered his family and fled the country. When Longo was finally apprehended, he gave the authorities Finkel's name as his own. Based on Finkel's memoir, True Story unpacks the bizarre details surrounding Finkel's and Longo's relationship and offers a contemporary version of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. The terse chemistry between Finkel and Longo is gripping to watch—it's never quite clear who is using whom until the film's final moments. These two actors deftly play out their characters' battle for psychological dominance—Hill makes us feel Finkel's inner turmoil, and Franco's cool detachment is both alienating and alluring. Some praises also need to be sung about Felicity Jones, who plays Finkel's quietly badass fiancée Jill. The scene in which she slices through the character insulation that Longo has built up around himself is a beautiful show of pure indignation. –Alex Springer

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