The life of Bob Crane, star of the 1960s television series "Hogan's Heroes," was seemingly ideal. He had three perfect children by his high school sweetheart, was an adored star and an all-around likable guy. It is a wonder then how this American icon could delve so quickly and so easily into a life of endless sex and lurid activities.
Director Paul Schrader's "Auto Focus" is a pitch-perfect portrayal of the demise of Bob Crane, a man undone not by his sexual desires, but by his wish not to disappoint his fans. Throughout the film Crane, (Greg Kinnear) seems to engage in his exploits because it is expected of him. In a world where everyone dreams of being a big star, Crane lived the life of one because he thought he had to.
Crane's career began in radio, and quickly he was chosen by CBS to be the star of the concentration-camp comedy "Hogan's Heroes." For about a year, his life was normal, and he continued his family's perfect appearance.
But soon he met John Carpenter (Willem Dafoe), an early video recording expert. Together the two formed a lethal combination, with Crane picking up women as he was prodded along by Carpenter, who would video tape the whole thing for later viewing. Once these exploits became daily, Crane lost all that he held dear to him, and he didn't seem to care.
Kinnear plays Crane perfectly as a man with absolutely no perspective on just how warped his life is. He is going through the motions of having a good time, and in doing so Kinnear makes us care for the seediest leading man we have seen on-screen in a long time.
Many times throughout the film we see Crane say that sex is healthy, and that his life style is "normal," but we can see in Crane's eyes that he doesn't believe it. Crane is a character completely unique unto himself; he has no insight into how his actions are unfavorable and how they might damage his career. He genuinely believes he is a good guy, and that is why he is so fascinating.
Dafoe also does an admirable job as the always-ambiguous John Carpenter, the man who might or might not have murdered Crane. It seems that Carpenter is the catalyst in Crane's life, the spark that turns him from a somewhat wholesome family man into a sexual pariah.
Dafoe plays him with a sort of sick desperation, and always festering just beneath the surface of their friendship is the obvious envy that Carpenter has towards Crane.
Dafoe is always creepy-looking and often terrifying in his film roles, but this one might be his best. We can never quite figure what he really wants from Crane, whether they are friends or there is a deeper level to their relationship.
This latent homosexuality is best expressed in the twosome's first fight, when Crane spies Carpenter's hand on his rear end during a sexual romp with two young ladies. Crane freaks out, calls Carpenter a "fag" and storms out of the room. Carpenter's only response is "Come on Bob, it's an orgy!"
And as ridiculous as this sounds, he is right. Once again, Crane is unable to come to grips with what his life has become; he refuses to see just how deeply involved he is in a world unlike his own.
Schrader's direction is always on point and often brilliant in "Auto Focus." Schrader has in the past proven himself knowledgeable in the ways of troubled men as the screenwriter of "Taxi Driver," and again here proves himself to be one of Hollywood's foremost talents.
In the early parts of the film, Schrader presents the action on the screen like something out of a 1950s sitcom, with bright colors and simple shots. But as Crane's life devolves, this simple setup goes with it.
As his first marriage falls apart, Schrader keeps the cookie-cutter home of the Crane's the same, but bathes it in dark light for all of the scenes. And as Crane plummets in to full-blown sexual obsession, the shots become grainy and dark, with high contrast and many tight close-ups of characters' eyes and mouths.
Like all the best directors, Schrader uses his cameras not to tell us the story of Crane, but to SHOW us. It is his ingenious direction that sets this film apart from any that I have seen this year.
Near the end of "Auto Focus," Crane laments in a voiceover how he could have possibly lost his career. He says, "What else could they want from me? I don't drink, I don't smoke. Two out of three ain't bad." What makes Crane such an interesting character is that he never understood just how much that third thing meant. As sex took control of his life, Crane turned into a likable sleaze ball, the toughest kind of character to understand.
And the picture doesn't seek to help us understand him. It is an honest portrayal of a deeply flawed man, and its failure to offer neither sympathy nor judgment to Crane makes "Auto Focus" one of the best films of the year.
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