In Cold Blood (re-release) 2006

In 1959, through a series of haunting flashbacks, ex-convicts Perry Smith and Dick Hickock cross paths in the peaceful rural setting of Kansas. United by their desperation, they hatched a sinister plan to invade the Clutter family farm, convinced that the wealthy patriarch, Herbert Clutter, stashed a significant fortune within a wall safe. However, as the two intruders broke in under the cover of night, they were met with disappointment; Herbert relied on checks rather than cash for his business dealings, leaving them empty-handed.

In a horrific turn of events, to eliminate any witnesses and cover their tracks, Smith and Hickock committed cold-blooded murder, viciously taking the lives of Herbert and his family members—his wife, Bonnie, and their two teenage children, Nancy aged 16 and Kenyon aged 14—using a shot gun. The grisly discovery of the Clutter family’s bodies the following day triggered an extensive investigation led by detective Alvin Dewey from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI).

The narrative unfolds as a tip from a former cellmate of Hickock places them squarely in the frame for the heinous Clutter murders. Although they narrowly escape capture, fleeing toward Florida and journeying further into Mexico, they eventually make their way back across the US-Mexico border, targeting Las Vegas in hopes of turning their fortunes around in the gambling scene. However, their luck runs out when they are apprehended for driving a stolen vehicle and other offenses.

In separate interrogations by the Las Vegas Police Department and the KBI, both men fluctuate between deception and denial regarding the murders. Despite admitting to passing bad checks, they maintain ignorance about the brutal killings. The KBI applies intense pressure, suggesting they left a witness behind, while slowly peeling back layers of their defense with incriminating evidence, including a bloody footprint tied to Smith. The tension escalates until Hickock’s resolve crumbles; he confesses his presence at the crime scene but tries to exculpate himself, asserting it was Smith who committed the murders.

Faced with the weight of their confessions, both men are charged with first-degree murder and ultimately found guilty. They receive death sentences by hanging, and in a grim conclusion, after exhausting all avenues for appeals, they pay the ultimate price for their horrific crimes, with law enforcement officials and the media witnessing their grim fate. >“This isn’t just about me!”