Hollywoodland

The mysterious death of 50’s icon George Reeves

In the early morning hours of June 16, 1959, George Reeves (Ben Affleck), star of the Adventures of Superman that ran from 1952-1958, is found dead in his Westside Los Angeles bedroom from a gunshot wound to the head. While the official cause of death is listed as suicide, his mother hires a private detective (Adrien Brody) to investigate the possibility of murder. Although it is argued that Reeves had reasons to kill himself due to depression over being typecast and aging issues, several individuals had motive and opportunity to kill him, including ex-girlfriend Toni Mannix (Diane Lane) and her powerful husband, the manager of MGM (Bob Hoskins), as well as Reeves’ fiancé (Robin Tunney). The biggest mystery is why the other three individuals in the house at the time of Reeves’ death waited 45 minutes to notify police.

“Hollywoodland” (2006) is a crime drama in the neo-noir vein and also a tragic biopic similar to “Auto Focus” (2002), “Mommie Dearest” (1981) and “Changeling” (2008). The only fictional character is Brody’s private eye, but he was based on real-life detective Milo Speriglio.

The movie effectively details the three different death scenarios with the hint that one is the most likely. But, really, it begins as a mystery and ends as one, which I think is fitting since no one actually knows what happened at this point. In any case, this is a worthy tribute to Reeves and his life in Hollywood during the 50s. After watching, research the case for yourself.

Also notable on the female front are Caroline Dhavernas as the detective’s girlfriend and Molly Parker as his ex.

The film runs 2 hours, 6 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles and the greater Toronto area.

GRADE: B