New York Times reporter Michael Finkel (Jonah Hill) gets the front page but his story turns out to be a false amalgamation of different people. He gets fired in disgrace. Nobody is willing to hire him. Then he gets a call from a local Oregon reporter Pat Frato (Ethan Suplee). Christian Longo (James Franco) has been arrested for the murder of his wife and three children. Unbeknownst to him, Christian has been using his identity. Christian grants him exclusive access.

At no time did I think that Christian is innocent. At best, the circumstance of the murders could be interesting but Franco plays him guilty from the very beginning. With no mystery, the question becomes where the tension of the movie would come from. The theme of truth is useful with Finkel's constant modification of his relationship with the concept. Even there, losing the book deal is not enough to inject the necessary tension. Although the movie floats the idea, Christian is never threatened with release. There is simply no danger of anything. At best, it's a character study but Finkel needs to have a darker treatment. This is an intriguing story that comes to not much.