Review of True Confessions (1981) by Jason G — 21 Jan 2011

I know... I know...

Only 2 stars for a film with Bobby DeNiro and Robbie Duvall at (arguably) the height of their careers???? Well, to be fair, both these guys are at the top of their game in TRUE CONFESSIONS. Each man shows up on screen and acts his little heart out. They are each completely invested in their respective roles and they definitely put on an actor's clinic.... but ask yourself this:

Why haven't you ever heard of this film?

The problem is that there isn't enough development in the story to keep your interest. The cast is brilliant with vetrans like Charles Durning and Burgess Meredith adding considerable wattage to the production... The sets are as authentic as you can get for 1940's America (short of filming in actual, 1940's America)... and coupled with these already, deceivingly strong elements, the basic plotline actually reads like something that could easily capture your attention for a scant 2 hrs.

Right?

But TRUE CONFESSIONS is the absolute, diametrical opposite of this.

TRUE CONFESSIONS is a "negative" gestalt, given flesh on the screen. It is simply not, in any way, the sum of all of it's parts. It is far, far less. Hollywood has taken the best ingredients at it's disposal, thrown it all into a pot, raised everyone's expectations............. and burnt the offering.

Despite the potential for great character driven conflict amongst characters, the story doesn't stress the complexities of these relationships deeply enough. As a viewer, you are simply given an unchallenging, straightforward path to follow from start to finish that unfortunately, requires very little effort on your part.

TRUE CONFESSIONS is shot in true, "film noir" style... and it tries to deliver with genre-typical, slow burn storytelling... but the problem is that the slow-burn pacing in this piece isn't just slow, it's positively glacial. It then further punishes it's faithful, long-suffering audience with the ultimate insult - - an unsatisfying ending.

I watched this for DeNiro and Duvall... but unlike other films they've been in, I'll not likely watch TRUE CONFESSIONS ever again.