A biopic on the life of Bob Crane, most famous for his primetime role as the lead in Hogan’s Heroes, creates a very candid and hard look at the man, his lifestyle, and the road that lead him to ruin.

This movie is quite boring at times, but the subject matter is so interesting, that you forget about the slow moving, dialogue heavy feature length film, creating interest in some unheralded situations.

Crane, after his show was off the air, carried on with a fascination of photographing nude women, and making adult films with his friend John Carpenter. Together they went from town to town using Crane’s celebrity status to get women, and film them.

This sort of lifestyle wore heavy on Crane and his two marriages, creating one major downfall after another, until he was murdered in his room.

This movie showcases a perfect example of what happens when you give into certain pleasures beyond the normal. Crane, throughout this film thinks he’s normal, that sex is normal and indulges into the seedy lifestyle of swinging beyond the average person (assuming that an average adult into the swinging lifestyle is not indulging too much…a hard sell, I know). The movie flows nicely, and kept my interest only because the subject matter involved is one that is not traditionally heralded or talked about amongst movie stars of that era.

The film ends on a real down note, considering Crane was killed in a hotel room.

I recommend it for anyone that wants to know more about Bob Crane, the lifestyle he chose and the era at the time. However, many will find the subject matter of sex on film a lot less flattering and will not finish the film or see it for it’s sociological mannerisms that make this worth seeing.

I enjoyed it to an extent, but wouldn’t recommend it to everyone.

Auto Focus is available on dvd now, and it also comes with a documentary on the unsolved Murder of Bob Crane, which is somewhat interesting to note. This film, although not 100% backed by the family of Crane, is a look into how society has changed over the years. If Bob Crane were around today, his lifestyle and love for sex would have been celebrated, but because the time he lived in was so shielded from overt sexuality at times, he suffered in the long run. It’s a dichotomy of standards if you ask me.