I was ten years old when I learned the shocking news of the death of George Reeves, the television actor whom I idolized as Superman. I appreciated how "Hollywoodland" made this moment impressionable on the youngster Evan "Scout" Simo, the son of the investigator Louis Simo pursuing leads in the Reeves case. For both me and little Scout, the death of Reeves was an early realization that appearances are not always the same as reality in the world of illusion and Hollywood celebrity.

Under the skillful direction of Allen Coulter, "Hollywoodland" captures that moment in film history when the studio system was in decline and about to give way to a new and more independent period of film-making. Perhaps from his previous credits in directing episodes for HBO's "Six Feet Under" series, Coulter was able to draw upon great location environments for a quintessential sense of Los Angeles. Much credit should go as well to designer Julie Weiss for her colorful costumes (especially men's short-sleeved shirts) that evoked the era of the 1950s in L.A.

The performances were uniformly outstanding. Ben Affleck brings out both the charm and the raw vulnerability of George Reeves, an actor of limited ability, struggling and eventually succumbing to the pressures of fame. Affleck was the spitting image of Reeves, especially in the Clark Kent-style, black-framed "owl" glasses. But the real strength of his performance was in his sensitivity as his character made choices that took him into deeper and deeper emotional waters, culminating in tragedy. In the film's parallel story, Adrien Body was a standout as Louis Simo, the private eye seeking his own fame in trying to uncover the mysterious circumstances and motivation of Reeves' tragic death. The luminous Diane Lane was superb in the role of Toni Mannix, the wife of a powerful studio boss and the lover of Reeves. I found Lane's performance in "Hollywoodland" even better than her Academy-award nominated role in "Unfaithful."

The film conveyed a moody atmosphere that begs comparison with "Chinatown," another film that recreates the essence of old Los Angeles. While not as brilliant stylistically as Roman Polanski's masterpiece, "Hollywoodland" nonetheless was a compelling and indeed riveting drama. Although the mystery of the tragic death of George Reeves was not resolved in this film, it nonetheless provided depth and complexity to the characters, as well as a lurid illustration of the pressures and the accompanying risks involved in struggling to succeed in the film industry.

When George Reeves died, it was ruled a suicide though there were persistent rumors that it was murder. This movie examines the death from the standpoint of a private investigator (Adrien Brody) as he follows the trails to determine what the real story was behind Reeves' death.

This movie gives the audience a chance to see what purports to be the real Reeves off camera. According to HOLLYWOODLAND, he was a womanizer, a bit of a user, a hard drinker and a bit of a schmuck. Because I was a fan of the old "Superman" TV show and thought I liked Reeves, all this came as a bit of a letdown. He certainly wasn't much like the Superman character. Plus, I never really felt that the film gave us much insight into who he really was--especially since the film never really spent too much time showing his life. Instead, you see it in snippets that often seemed too brief and perhaps emphasized the not so heroic aspects of Reeves. In addition, the film also lost me because by the time the picture was finished, you really had no more insight into whether or not Reeves took his own life. You see theories acted out but no real coherent conclusions can be made about his tragic death. All you can really say is that he wasn't all that nice a guy. As for me, I really wish I hadn't seen the film and had just stuck with the image I already had about Reeves. On film, he seemed so nice and decent. I really didn't need to know otherwise.

Technically speaking, the film was okay. Some of the recreations and attention to detail were very nice, though Brody seemed ill-suited to the film--he didn't look or act that much like someone from the late 1950s to me. Overall, a competent film but nothing more.

It's 1959 and George Reeves (Ben Affleck) best known as TV Superman is found shot dead in a house full of people. The police rules it a suicide. Questionable private investigator Louis Simo (Adrien Brody) is hired by Helen Bessolo to investigate the death of her son Reeves. As he digs into the case, the show flashes back to Reeves' time in Hollywood starting as a nobody trying to get his foot in the door. He has an affair with Toni Mannix (Diane Lane) who he doesn't know at first that she is actually the wife of a MGM studio head Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins).

The movie is a little slow and a little long relishing in the noirish hard-boiled style. Allen Coulter is a TV director and that may be why the movie moves more slowly. It doesn't quite have the urgency. Adrien Brody's slow brooding mannerisms only accentuate the pacing. I like the era and the style. I could do with a quicker pace. Ben Affleck fits this character better than his other nice guy roles. He's a little dark and a little complicated. It signals a change in Affleck's career path for the better. The style is there but the pacing is lacking.