REEL CRITIC:

The bullet lodged in George Reeves’ brain rules out death from natural causes. Known for playing Superman on television, he died in his home on June 16, 1959. Did he take his own life? If so, he missed twice. Maybe it was a tragic accident. Or murder. Ruled a suicide by police at the time, the drama Hollywoodland reopens the case.

Fictional private eye Louis Simos (Adrien Brody) takes a closer look at the evidence. Who really pulled the trigger and what was their motive? Reeves’ family, friends and lovers are questioned and suspected of hiding evidence — and worse.

At the time of his death, Reeves was unhappy. No one would hire him. Playing the Man of Steel had typecast him. Even playing Superman, Reeves was unhappy. He is portrayed in the movie as never being satisfied with what he has. Working in TV was not good enough; Reeves wanted to star in movies. He wanted adults to idolize him, not the kids who were watching his show.

Regardless of his situation, his married girlfriend, Toni Mannix, supported George emotionally and financially. She was madly in love with him. And she was overcome with grief when he left her for a younger woman. Also, her husband knew about the affair and how it ended. Perhaps one or both of them was angry enough to kill Reeves. Even his fiancee has reason to be upset with George. That’s three suspects and motives Simos looks into.

The private eye has his own problems to deal with while following up on leads about Reeves. Separated from his wife and kid, Louis is jealous of her boyfriend. He suspects his secretary is having a relationship with someone else in addition to him. And his former friends and colleagues with the Hollywood police are still mad at him for selling confidential information to the tabloids. That indiscretion got him kicked off the force. Simos has yet to learn his lesson. He continues screwing over and selling out clients to make a buck.

Hollywoodland is a sell out, too. The film starts with a bang and ends with a whimper. Plausible scenarios lack physical evidence to support them as being credible. No fingerprints can be lifted off the gun. Witnesses stick with their alibis. And people who may have killed or had him killed ain’t talking.

With few clues and relevant information to work with, the film noir drama delves into Reeves’ personal life. How he met Toni. Why Miss Lemon, his fiancee, was angry. And what happened a few of months before Reeves’ death to make Simos think he could have been murdered.

The behind-the-scenes peek at Reeves’ acting career is more interesting than his personal woes. The bit part he played in “Gone With the Wind.” How he stumbled into landing the role of Superman. His embarrassment at being cut out of a picture starring Frank Sinatra and Burt Lancaster because the audience laughed whenever George appeared on screen.

Playing the Man of Steel is what he is best known for, and that storyline holds the viewer’s interest. The adulation kids showered on him are the brightest spots in the film. And, for a moment, Reeves becomes the hero in red tights. During a public performance for some kids, a little boy points a real gun at Reeves. The kid wants to watch the bullets bounce off his chest up-close. Reeves saves the day better than Superman could have.

There are too few shining moments, however, in Reeves’ life present in the movie. The focus is on his problems and dissatisfactions. Scene after scene of Reeves always wanting bigger and better and never being happy becomes tedious. However, the fault is not with Ben Affleck’s performance as the out-of-work actor. Affleck is able to embody someone who feels he should have greater roles and more fame. His acting is as good as his role in “Pearl Harbor.”

The fault lies with the script. Writing in the fictional gumshoe, Simos, whose problems are similar to Reeves, bogs the story down. Like Reeves, Simos is moody, loaded down with personal problems and thinks people don’t treat him with enough respect. It’s hard to think about caring for either one of them.

During his investigation, Simos scams a lot of people into believing there is more to Reeves’ death than meets the eye. The audience gets scammed, too. Sit this one out.