Auto Focus (2002)

Greg Kinnear plays radio personality turned actor Bob Crane this biopic of the troubled 'Hogan's Hero' TV star. The film examines Crane's desire to break into feature films and how his silver screen dreams were thwarted by his constant philandering and strange relationship with an early pioneer in home video equipment called John Carpenter (no - not the 'Halloween' director). Fascinating as the sound stage scenes are with the sets of 'Hogan's Heroes' meticulously constructed and Kurt Fuller absolutely nailing Col. Klink, the film is at its best when the dynamics between Crane and Carpenter are in focus. At times, they seem best buddies, at other times possible lovers, and during Crane's ego trips, questions arise as to who is using who. Less than half the film is dedicated to their friendship though and while the scattered dream/fantasy sequences work well (particularly a part in which Crane hallucinates and thinks he is actually in a German stalag), there is often little to distinguish 'Auto Focus' from other biographical films out there. Never to mind, it is solidly acted enough to be engaging from start to finish. All the insight into the early days of home video technology is pretty neat too and there is a lot to like about director Paul Schrader taking the more challenging approach of focusing on Crane's life as opposed to the mysterious details of his death.

Grew up watching reruns of "Hogan's Heroes" with my family, and always enjoyed Bob Crane. Very talented and underrated man, in many ways. Unfortunately, sometimes a descent is concomitant with a rise. This film does a good job presenting Crane's descent into the underground sex scene of the '60s and '70s, which may have led to his untimely and still officially unsolved murder in Scottsdale, AZ. The details have been disputed by many, but the broad strokes are all present. A tragic end to a wonderful entertainer. Great job by Greg Kinnear as Crane, with a fine supporting cast, fitting soundtrack, and some memorable dialogue.

After several television appearances, actor Bob Crane landed the starring role of Hogan's Heroes, a television series which ran from 1965 to 1971. The majority of baby boomers will remember it well. After the series ended, Crane made several unsuccessful attempts at continuing his television career, including his own television series: The Bob Crane Show was canceled after just 15 episodes in 1975. He was reduced to the dinner theater circuit in the mid to late 1970's when he eventually was murdered in cold-blooded fashion on June 29, 1978. How did he go from television star to obscurity in a matter of seven years? Paul Schrader's film Auto Focus suggests it was Crane's debauched lifestyle that did him in. After Crane's bloodied and bludgeoned body was discovered, police found a large number of home made sex videos with Crane and his friend John Carpenter.Greg Kinnear stars as Bob Crane, the penultimate likable guy and radio DJ, circa 1964. Kinnear has Crane down perfectly, except you have to wonder if Crane was really that superficial or was the script just that superficial? Schrader suggests that Crane really was that shallow, and Crane's pornographic fervor fueled his career decline. Crane never realized it as witnessed by the script's closing narration given by Kinnear as Crane after his death. Despite the support Crane received after death from his second wife about changing his life around, it seems like Crane became a pariah in the industry, increasingly shunned for his inappropriate behavior as an out-of-control womanizer disconnected from reality. The film's "Celebrity Cooks" appearance, which Crane filmed 6 days before he was killed, makes this apparent.Willem Dafoe stars as John "Carpy" Carpenter, the electronic technician working on the cutting edge of the dawning video age. Crane's association with Carpenter drew him deeper into a world of hedonistic sex and pornographic home movies. The film seems to be ambiguous to a certain extent regarding the catalyst for pushing Crane over the edge, but he had already built up a collection of nude magazines of the day, including Gent, Swank, and others. However, director Paul Schrader indicated Hollywood didn't corrupt anybody, but it allowed corrupt individuals to continue their corruption. I agree with Schrader's assessment. The cinematography uses picturesque Norman Rockwell types of colors and settings in the early part of the film, and then it slowly gravitates to darker hues as the film progresses and Crane's personal turmoil becomes more apparent. The fantasy sequence when Crane's Hogan's Heroes' set collides with his personal demons is just one of these darker moments. Kinnear and Dafoe are both interesting enough to carry the film, and as with most of Schrader's films, the supporting cast is excellent. Rita Wilson, as Crane's high school sweetheart and his first wife Anne, is prim and proper in a 1960's sort of way. Maria Bello is fantastic as Patricia, Crane's second wife he married on the set of Hogan's Heroes. Ron Leibman is great as Lenny the agent who increasingly warns Crane to tone down or hide his personal life or his career will suffer. Ultimately, it's a film that draws no conclusions about Crane's murder or passes no judgment on Crane's wild lifestyle. It's simply a sad story about a likable guy who never realizes his addiction to sex and the effect it has on his career and those around him. It's also a film about exploiting celebrity status for one's gain and the unending number of seemingly ordinary people who are only too willing to be hoodwinked by individuals with barely a modicum of celebrity status. Schrader continues his string of disturbing portraits of male protagonists with sexual ambivalence and hangups. Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, Jake VanDorn in Hardcore, Julian in American Gigolo, Paul Gallier in Cat People, Yukio Mishima in Mishima, Robert and even Colin in The Comfort Of Strangers, Wade Whitehouse in Affliction, Alan Riply in Forever Mine, and now Bob Crane in Auto Focus. The sexual dichotomy in Auto Focus is much more extreme than in the other films, and Crane's rise and fall parallels the innocence to cynicism transition American society underwent from the mid 1960's to the late 1970's at the time. Michael Gerbosi wrote the script based on Robert Graysmith's book: The Murder Of Bob Crane. *** of 4 stars.

Back when Rob Lowe and Tommy Lee were in grade school, Bob Crane was blazing a self-destructive trail with technical help from his friend, John Carpenter. I didn't grow up with the show "Hogan's Heroes" so seeing this film and reading Robert Graysmith's excellent book "Auto Focus: The Murder of Bob Crane" were eye opening experiences. A gadget man to the stars, John insinuated himself into the lives of Bob and others looking into late 60's audio-video equipment. The beginnings of home video are shown innocently through the kids playing in the Crane house. And then diabolically, with big daddy on the town (and all over America), as the obsessive duo travel on the strip joint and dinner theatre circuits, meeting hundreds of willing women who may or may not have been aware of the full extent of their sex partner's camera oriented games.Eventually, even Bob realizes he's gone too far and wants to change the bounds of his enabler's role in his life. And then it gets deathly dark! If you're aware of this film, you know how it ends. What's disturbing is how we get there. Greg Kinnear and Willem Dafoe are both awesome in their portrayals of Crane and Carpenter. Two shallow men reached the ends of their ropes and we are left with the sick conclusion that Crane's murderer was probably his "only friend".