Hollywoodland explores the suicide of “Adventures of Superman” star George Reeves, which quickly became one of Hollywood’s most controversial deaths. Was it a suicide of a troubled actor whose career was fading? Or did somebody want him dead?

Reeves’s mother believes her son was murdered, and hires a private detective, Louis Simo (Adrien Brody), to discover the truth behind Reeves’s death. The movie interleaves Simo’s investigation with flashbacks to Reeves’s (Ben Affleck) life and career. As Simo uncovers Reeves’s tangled personal life, he discovers tensions between the star and his fiance (Robin Tunney), his jilted lover (Diane Lane), and her powerful studio-boss husband (Bob Hoskins). Meanwhile his investigation is drawing bad publicity to the studios, and somebody is making sure that Simo is blocked at every turn.

Hollywoodland combines elements of film noir with the retro glamour of the 1950s Hollywood. The acting is top notch, with Brody as the dogged private eye, Affleck as the troubled star, and Lane as his longtime patron giving stellar performances. Unfortunately, the movie does not really take a stand on the question of “Who really killed George Reeves?”, instead opting to present an array of theories without espousing any particular one. This really puts a damper to the flow of the movie, as there are no AH-HA moments when Simo finally figures out the truth: instead we leave him simply wondering what actually did happen. In that sense, the movie stays very true to the history of George Reeve’s death.

Coming to DVD this Tuesday, February 6.
Adrien Brody looking for some answers.

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