More a tragic reminder of how fleeting fame can be than the murder mystery its ad campaign makes it out to be, Hollywoodland is an intriguing 1950s noir story about one of the more mysterious deaths in Hollywood history. First time feature film director Allen Coulter (TV's The Sopranos) wisely does not dig or look for answers into the mystery surrounding the death of George Reeves. Rather, he decides to give us multiple possibilities as to what may have happened, mixed with the facts of the man's life. The film attempts to tell two stories simultaneously (one about Reeves, and one about a detective who is dragged into the mystery), and although it's not always a successful formula, for the most part, Hollywoodland is an engrossing and stylish search for the truth.

Best known for playing Superman on the phenomenally successful TV series back in the 50s, George Reeves (Ben Affleck) is found dead of an apparent gun suicide in his bed late one night by the police. However, Reeves' mother (Lois Smith) does not believe that her son had any reason to kill himself, nor does she believe that he would ever do something like it. Small time Private Eye Louis Simo (Adrian Brody) is dragged into the case, and right away, things don't match up. There are multiple bullet holes in the floor and ceiling of the room where Reeves' body was found, his body has scars that the coroner strangely did not seem to notice, and strangest of all, his at-the-time girlfriend Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney) and the few friends who were at the house at the time he died waited 45 minutes before they called the police. As the questions keep on piling up, more suspects and shady characters make themselves known to Simo including MGM studio chief Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins), and even Eddie's wife Lori (Diane Lane), who had a long affair with Reeves before he broke it off to be with Leonore. The investigation leads Louis Simo to believe that just like in the movies, nothing in Hollywood is what it seems.

Rather than take the expected route of a "who done it" Hollywood murder mystery, Hollywoodland is a honest and thoughtful portrayal of how the city of the cinema can create dreams, and shatter them just as easily. When we first meet George Reeves, he is a suave, smooth struggling actor. He had his first break with a role in Gone With the Wind, but was then reduced to acting in Saturday morning kid matinee serials. He has a chance meeting with Lori Mannix, and the two hit it off. She, in turn, helps him find some work. The Superman role comes along, and although Reeves is not thrilled by the prospect of the show, he is generally happy for the work. The show is picked up, becomes a run away hit, and George slowly watches his dreams of being taken seriously as an actor slip away. There is a scene halfway through where George gets a role in the film From Here to Eternity, and is heckled right off the screen by an audience who only views him as the Man of Steel from TV. It's at this point that George, and we the audience, realize that he will never have what he desires for. It is a tragic moment, and the film knows how to play it truthfully, so it is not overbearing or melodramatic.

The film is a fascinating study of the film industry of the time period, and the movie perfectly captures just about every last detail. This is very much a time capsule movie which gets just about everything right. The production design by Leslie McDonald is almost award-worthy in how it brings the Hollywood of the late 40s to mid 50s to life. This is backed up by some stunning performances, especially Ben Affleck who gives what must be one of the best performances of his career. Although he does not really resemble the real life Reeves that much, we quickly forget that fact, as he is able to fully become the character, both his real life persona and the bigger than life persona that he created for the kids. That's really one of the key themes of Hollywoodland, the lines of fantasy and reality being blurred. There is a wonderful scene where Reeves is making a live personal appearance as Superman, and his encounter with a very confused little boy. The scene is tense, almost painful, and a reminder of just how much faith people sometimes put into celebrities and the roles they play. All of the people who surround Reeves during the flashbacks are played by top talents, special note going to Diane Lane as Reeves' faithful lover who never stopped believing or loving him, even after he moved away from her.

It is in the film's parallel detective story where Hollywoodland slips just a little. While these scenes are just as well made and well performed as the flashbacks that cover George's career, they are not able to hold our interest quite as much. While I admire that the film does not attempt to solve the actual mystery, and offers numerous possibilities, the character of Louis Simo is not an interesting enough of a protagonist for us to get behind. We know he has a troubled life with his family, and with many other of his close personal relationships, but the film never quite digs deep enough into the character to make us truly care about him. This is not to discredit Adrian Brody's performance, which matches the excellence of just about everyone else in this film. He simply has less to work with than Affleck. This side of the story is still an interesting look at the seedy underside of Hollywood. It just is not as emotionally effective or compelling as Reeves' descent from Hollywood hopeful to a typecast man with little to no dreams.

With its pitch-perfect look, wonderful performances and intriguing mystery behind it, Hollywoodland is a movie that definitely does not squander the material it's been given. It is compelling, entertaining, and most of all, a fitting and heartfelt tribute to a man who viewed himself as less than he was despite the fact he was the idol of millions. The film wisely does not pity or look down at Reeves. It sympathizes with him, and wants to tell his story in a honest fashion. Reeves himself may have never gotten the respect he wanted in Hollywood, but with any luck, this film will.

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