Two Sides of Auto Focus, and the Greatness of Kinnear

I came into Auto Focus not sure what to expect. I didn't know anything about Bob Crane the man as Hogan's Heroes and his tragic plight was a bit before my time. So, imagine my surprise when the movie went from a cute comedy in the first 45 minutes to an absolute dark drama in the last hour. It was uncanny and eerily hypnotizing to watch Greg Kinnear slowly unravel and become a full-blown sex addict.

Everything about this film changed in the second hour, and the film-making was extraordinarily brave. Furthermore, Kinnear himself swallowed his pride in the role and accepted the inevitable ending for his character. He is such a great actor that I completely bought his unbelievable performance as Bob Crane. As the movie itself became darker- from the dialogue, lighting and um, amount of sex- Kinnear injected a creepiness into Crane that was simply tragic.

I dont mean to downplay Dafoe's performance- it was excellent, and he is excellent- but I do believe that Kinnear's performance is one of the best and most unheralded in recent memory.