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Poster for In Cold Blood

In Cold Blood

Seen it?

1996 | 1 seasons | 89 min | Drama

Saturday Specialearly rating

Why it’s a Saturday Special

It was critically acclaimed, despite a small audience. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for anyone who loves a strong character drama.
The mood
Thoughtful and character-driven.
The pace
One season: easy to finish in a weekend or two, hour-long episodes, about 3 hours in all.
What might put you off
Nothing much for most grown-ups.

At the end of the 1950s, in a more innocent America, the brutal, meaningless slaying of a Midwestern family horrified the nation. This film is based on Truman Capote's hauntingly detailed, psychologically penetrating nonfiction novel. While in prison, Dick Hickock, 20, hears a cell-mate's story about $10,000 in cash kept in a home safe by a prosperous rancher. When he's paroled, Dick persuades ex-con Perry Smith, also 20, to join him in going after the stash. On a November night in 1959, Dick and Perry break into the Holcomb, Kansas, house of Herb Clutter. Enraged at finding no safe, they wake the sleeping family and brutally kill them all. The bodies are found by two friends who come by before Sunday church. The murders shock the small Great Plains town, where doors are routinely left unlocked. Detective Alvin Dewey of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation heads the case, but there are no clues, no apparent motive and no suspects...

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsStrong

    Critically acclaimed

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsSolid

    Nominated for 2 Emmys.

  • Reach & staying powerBelow par

    Limited series that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactBelow par

    About 20K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

  • Sam NeillAgent Alvin Dewey
  • Anthony EdwardsDick Hickock
  • Eric RobertsPerry Smith
  • Don S. DavisRoy Church
  • Margot FinleyNancy Clutter
  • Kevin TigheHerbert Clutter
  • L.Q. Jones
  • Troy Evans
  • Campbell Lane
  • Stella StevensHotel Keeper