True Confessions (1981)

Los Angeles, 1948. Robert De Niro is a Catholic priest whose brother (Robert Duvall), a seedy cop, has been assigned to the case of a brutally murdered young prostitute. Through a matter of irony the girl is linked to the priest, who was present in a car with her prior to her death, and soon controversy flairs and a big to-do is made of it.

"True Confessions" plays a bit too slowly, and is rather predictable. It also does a poor job of managing some of its plot -- it tries to criticize the absurdity of the press at some points, but just becomes a victim of its own satire when it unrealistically links events together via newspapers in the film.

De Niro is believable as a priest, although maybe a bit too young for the role. Duvall is impressive as a gruff detective -- not a typical role for the actor. (Darker than he usually is in most movies.) If you're a fan of the actors I'd try to watch this at least once in your lifetime just for the sake of being able to say or know that you saw it -- but I wouldn't go out of my way to see it if I were you.

Fmovies: True Confessions(1981) This is a story of corruption between two brothers, one a power wielding priest in the Catholic church and the other a sordid detective in 1940's Los Angeles.Based on the "Who Killed the Black Daliha" case, 'True Confessions' boasts perhaps the greatest supporting cast ever in a motion picture. Great period piece and incredible acting by Robert Duvall, Robert DeNiro, and Ed Flanders.

True Confessions is a film wherein all of the players are at the top of their game. Altho starring Robert Duval and Robert DeNiro, the depth of field among the character actors is extraordinary, and this is why a movie that's seems to have so little going on is really so overwhelmingly powerful. Both Duval and DeNiro seem to communicate without speaking; almost as tho their thoughts are being sub-titled on the screen. Whenever they do begin talking with each other, the weight of their shared past has the force of a sledge hammer. I have a vhs copy of True Confessions, have watched it plenty of times and still find fresh nuances whenever I look at it. You have to see this movie.

True Confessions fmovies. This was a really good little film. It takes a look at the Black Dahlia killing but it mainly focuses on the relationships between the people. Even though they look and figure out who the killer is, it's a secondary part of the story. The Black Dahlia part in this movie is not accurate to the facts from the real case but it's not really suppose to be. Catholic Church corruption, prostitution and murder all combined for a really quiet meaningful little flick.

Long before L.A. Confidential, this film made light of the massive corruption and lack of caring in the L.A. police department back in it's bad years from the 20's through the 50's. You'll be glad you didn't live there back in those days.

No action but high on drama/thriller twists and turns. If you like L.A. Confidential, see this. I'm willing to bet, you'll like it.

TRUE CONFESSIONS is one of the best movies ever made. Its virtues include the remarkable array of character actors, each giving of his best under the amazingly subtle direction of Ulu Grosbard. The novel provided an excellent springboard for the script the author wrote with his wife. Re-reading it, I found the scenes that had to be excluded from the movie for reasons of length, etc., were visualized and heard in my mind with the actors' personalities, idiosyncrasies, and inflections. This was particularly true of Cyril Cusack, Burgess Meredith, Ed Flanders, Charles Durning and the two principals. I can watch this film over and over, each time discovering new felicities as well as new depths of emotion. I am not a Catholic, a detective, or an American, but I must confess I had an older brother and our relationship undoubtedly added to my appreciation of this masterpiece.

I recently pulled out my old copy of True Confessions and watched it again. The thing that struck me the most was the incredible display of extraordinary acting by so many of the actors. DeNiro and Duvall are simply mesmerizing. The supporting cast - Burgess Meredith, Cyril Cusack and Rose Gregorio - are as good as any supporting cast in any movie. The film has mood and texture, and evokes the Los Angeles of the late 1940's in brilliant detail.

John Gregory Dunne has used the real life Black Dahlia murder of 1947 to weave a complex story of corruption in the Catholic Church and the LAPD. A very underrated film.