For a m�nage of murder, corruption and wrecked dreams in California we already have the works of James Ellroy, with The Black Dahlia being a recent release. Likewise based on a real-life 'unsolved' murder, Hollywoodland is an interesting new tale of thwarted ambition, conspiracy and untimely death.

In 1959, George Reeves, the actor who made the role of Superman his own in the television years, was found dead in his flat with a single gunshot wound. The L.A.P.D. shut the case but his grieving mother hires a two-bit � actually $50 a day � detective to probe the dirt surrounding the actor. The private Dick, Louis Simo (Brody) soon unearths an affair with a beautiful older woman,
Toni Mannix (Lane): who happens to be married to the intimidating head of MGM studios, the notorious Eddie Mannix (Hoskins). Add to the mix Reeves' fianc� (Tunney) who's an aspiring actress of dubious intent and you have a house of cards built on the ephemera of tinsel town dreams.

Hollywoodland unfolds its narrative in two parts. Whilst Simo probes around Los Angeles stumbling on clues and struggling to cope with his nearly dead marriage in 1959, we are also given flash backs to ten years previous when Reeves first gets himself noticed in the industry � showing a talent for self-publicity that gets him into bed with the influential siren Toni Mannix. The intelligence of Allen Coulter's film comes from the way he mixes the two eras and the two stories; which are ultimately one and the same. Adrien Brody's detective superficially recalls the likes of Robert Towne's Jake Gittes; a crumpled man out of his depth and destined for a beating right from the start. Here is a character struggling with his own role. He's playing at being a detective and Adrien Brody gives the character a self-consciousness and introspection in a strong performance.  

In the juiciest of supporting roles, Ben Affleck reconstitutes his own career with his take on George Reeves. At times charming and urbane, Affleck shows the character's brittle confidence fray at the edges until his defeat when the Superman role � which he always considered beneath him � defines his career.
As Affleck himself has said, he understands the humiliation of snapping on a rubber suit for a living: who can forget Dare Devil (however hard you may try).

Allen Coulter's first feature has a lot going for it. Leslie McDonald's production design is lavish in period detail. Paul Bernbaum's script is well structured and sprinkled with hard-boiled dialogue. If the picture feels a bit unfocussed by the end that may be understandable given the speculative nature of the case. Contemporary Hollywood and the Academy will surely be recognising Ben Affleck for his work as the tragic Reeves � and Diane Lane possibly too � in what was one of the success stories of the London Film Festival 2006.

6 Degrees Film spoke to actor Bob Hoskins and director Allen Coulter at the Gala screening of their new film.

You have played J Edgar Hoover and now Eddie Mannix [the mobster-like head of MGM in the 1940s], why do you think they always come to you with the "nice guy" roles?

[Bob Hoskins] Well, I'm a short, fat, middle-aged man with a bald 'ead and you know five foot six � it's a shame! That's what does it, it's between me and Danny DeVito!

Allen Coulter, you directed this movie Hollywoodland. How influenced were you by film noir movies, I'm particularly thinking of the detective thrillers we all know and love?

Well, you wouldn't want to make a film like this without having seen those films. But you don't sit around thinking 'how can I do it like that.' Actually you are thinking the opposite: how can I do something else because they have done what they did so well. With movies like Chinatown and L.A. Confidential, it's inevitable that you are influenced. You try not to think about them but their influence creeps in. This is as unusual film because we have a detective that is kinda self-conscious. Adrien [Brody] plays a guy who himself is playing a role; he's trying to act like a detective. You know, Bogart wasn't playing a role he just was that.

This film deals with the idea of Hollywood publicists and image control, how do think this area has changed since then?

Louis Simo [Adrien Brody's character] is trying to get his picture in the paper - very much like every guy in the joint these days. The other thing is that the old studio system really controlled the press so 'you guys' would have been told what to write and I know that Diane, Ben and Adrien all said that they kind of miss those days because people weren't going through their garbage! So I think it was a different age.