Overview
A chilling exploration of the darkest corners of the human psyche and the consequences of violence.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- sobering
- suspenseful
- classic crime night
- true crime viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a compelling, sobering docudrama whose quasi-documentary realism and lead performances give a fictional thriller the grip of observed reality.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Richard Brooks uses restrained presentation, location-based detail, and procedural investigation to produce the documentary effect praised by critics.
Perry Smith and Dick Hickock receive extensive characterization as the investigation and pursuit gradually expose their contrasting personalities.
The film is identified as an example of Hollywood new realism and emphasizes authentic locations, sober detail, and mature subject matter.
The black-and-white cinematography gives the Kansas landscapes, fugitive journey, investigation, and execution an austere, unsettling visual character.
Films like In Cold Blood, and why
The Executioner's Song
documentary-style crime drama, moral severity, and psychologically focused criminal protagonists
Zodiac
true-crime procedural realism, bleak atmosphere, and examination of violence's social consequences
Bonnie and Clyde
new hollywood crime filmmaking, fatalism, and a tense fugitive pursuit
The Boston Strangler
grounded true-crime drama, institutional investigation, and dispassionate treatment of murder
Movie Details
- Director
- Richard Brooks
- Release Date
- 1967-12-15
- Runtime
- 134 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (457)
Cast
- Robert Blake
- Scott Wilson
- John Forsythe
- Paul Stewart
- Gerald S. O'Loughlin
- Jeff Corey
- John Gallaudet
- James Flavin
- Charles McGraw
- Will Geer
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is In Cold Blood about?
- A stark true-crime portrait follows two parole-breaking drifters from a botched Kansas robbery through a relentless investigation and tragic reckoning.
- What is In Cold Blood like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of In Cold Blood as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is In Cold Blood violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in In Cold Blood as graphic.
- What did critics think of In Cold Blood?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a compelling, sobering docudrama whose quasi-documentary realism and lead performances give a fictional thriller the grip of observed reality.
- Which films are like In Cold Blood?
- Films with a similar feel include The Executioner's Song, Zodiac, Bonnie and Clyde, and The Boston Strangler.
- How long is In Cold Blood?
- In Cold Blood runs 134 minutes.
- Where can I watch In Cold Blood?
- In United States, In Cold Blood is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
