Auto Focus (2002)

Director: Paul Schrader

Starring: Greg Kinnear, Willem Dafoe, Rita Wilson, Maria Bello

More Info: IMDB

Tagline: A day without sex is a day wasted.

Plot: Capitalizing on his fame as the star of "Hogan's Heroes," Bob Crane(Greg Kinnear) dove into the freewheeling spirit of the 60s and 70s with relish, having affairs with numerous women. Eventually, Crane teamed up with video technician John Carpenter to document his exploits, an association that may very well have led to his murder in a Scottsdale,Arizona motel room in 1978, which remains officially unsolved to this day.



My Rating: 8/10

Would I watch it again? After a few drinks and a handful of Hoagan's Heroes episodes...and sex

As a kid in the 70s I watched a lot of TV. My two favorite shows were THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW and HOGAN'S HEROES. As far as I was concerned those were it. So, naturally, when a movie comes out about Bob Crane with actors I dig, I was all over it. This is my second viewing.

Although light-hearted in tone for the first third of the picture (and tries to hold onto that vibe in pieces throughout) the viewer is sucked into Bob's world. As he starts his descent from stardom and family man,we are taken with him. The worse off he is, the worse we feel until finally, with his eventual murder, we're drained. Ya kinda feel like a shower afterwards to clean the past two hours off ya. That's the best way I can describe it.

Kinnear is outstanding as the charismatic, charming Crane. Dafoe is superb as Crane's creepy-as-fuck friend. The way Schrader plays with the tempo of the film works really well and there are some nice scenes where Crane starts to slowly lose it and question everything. If you'd like a trip to the gutter and you want to take your time getting there, then this movie is ripe for you.