True Story

True Story follows Michael Finkel, a journalist who has fallen from a prestigious position after a professional ethics scandal, and Christian Longo, a man arrested in Mexico for the murder of his wife and three children. At the time of his capture, Longo had been passing himself off as Finkel, living outside the United States under the reporter's name. With his career in ruins, Finkel sees a chance to rebuild it when Longo, claiming he will speak only to a journalist he trusts, agrees to meet him. What begins as a professional opportunity turns into an uneasy exchange between the two men, as Finkel tries to learn what really happened while Longo keeps control of the story he tells.

The film is directed by Rupert Goold, who also wrote the screenplay with David Kajganich. It was Goold's first feature, followed later by Judy and National Theatre Live: Dear England. Jonah Hill plays Finkel and James Franco plays Longo, with Felicity Jones as Finkel's girlfriend Jill Barker and supporting turns from Maria Dizzia, Ethan Suplee and Robert John Burke. It is based on real events and on Finkel's own account of his dealings with Longo.

Released in April 2015, the film took about 5 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.3 out of 10 from over two thousand votes, while the critics' score stands at 5.5 out of 10 from 167 reviews, placing the two roughly in line with each other.