So Fine, Gallipoli, Cattle Annie and Little Britches, True Confessions, Rich and Famous

Before L.A. Confidential...there was True Confessions

Two Pines Chapel - church at beginning and end of film

E Ave G & 198th St E, Lancaster, California, USA

Robert De Niro and Jane Fonda in Stanley & Iris (1990)

Robert De Niro in Guilty by Suspicion (1991)

Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep in Falling in Love (1984)

Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli in New York, New York (1977)

Robert De Niro and Sean Penn in We're No Angels (1989)

Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall in True Confessions (1981)

I sit on your face,and you try to guess my weight!

Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, and Charles Durning in True Confessions (1981)

Robert De Niro in True Confessions (1981)

Robert De Niro, Charles Durning, Pat Corley, Ed Flanders, and Susan Myers in True Confessions (1981)

Robert Duvall and Kenneth McMillan in True Confessions (1981)

Robert De Niro

Robert Duvall

Charles Durning

John Gregory Dunne

Joan Didion

Gary S. Hall

A worldly ambitious monsignor clashes with his older brother, a cynical Los Angeles homicide detective who is investigating the brutal murder of a young prostitute.

Ulu Grosbard

True Confessions

Religion and Politics

I read John Gregory Dunne&apos;s novel quite some time ago, and while the details of the tale - other than it&apos;s obvious use of the Black Dahlia murder as a fictionalised sub-plot - were no longer clear in my mind when I watched this film, the memory of being deeply impressed by the book were still very clear.

You would think a film version written by the novel&apos;s author and starring two modern giants of the screen would have success guaranteed, but Ulu Grosbad&apos;s adaptation of True Confessions is only partially successful. As you&apos;d expect, the acting is first rate, especially from De Niro, cast against type as a measured, introspective priest, and the recreation of 40s America stands comparison with the likes of L. A. Confidential but, whereas the medium of literature enabled Dunne to bring a good measure of intrigue to the complexities of religious politics and finance, on the screen he struggles to hold the viewer&apos;s interest, while the Black Dahlia sub-plot is almost dismissively brushed aside.

Despite this, the plot reaches the screen with its intelligence and cynicism intact, relying on human interaction to drive the plot forward. Essentially a dissection of the relationship of two brothers, one a cop (Duvall) the other a sort of &apos;glamour priest&apos; who weds wealthy couples and is earmarked for good things, the script steadfastly picks apart the threads of the brothers&apos; lives to reveal the sensitivity and honour of the hard-bitten cop and the self-serving ability of the priest that enables him to turn a blind eye to all that he knows is rotten.

This is a film for adults. If you like gunplay or violence look elsewhere. But if you want to see a film that asks you to do a little work to understand the motivation and compulsions of its characters then this one will probably be worth a couple of hours of your time.

Official Trailer

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNjU4OTNkNDAtYmFiMC00ZjE5LWIyMzctMjNlOWYxNWZiZTc4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXRyYW5zY29kZS13b3JrZmxvdw@@._V1_.jpg

I read John Gregory Dunne's novel quite some time ago, and while the details of the tale - other than it's obvious use of the Black Dahlia murder as a fictionalised sub-plot - were no longer clear in my mind when I watched this film, the memory of being deeply impressed by the book were still very clear.

You would think a film version written by the novel's author and starring two modern giants of the screen would have success guaranteed, but Ulu Grosbad's adaptation of True Confessions is only partially successful. As you'd expect, the acting is first rate, especially from De Niro, cast against type as a measured, introspective priest, and the recreation of 40s America stands comparison with the likes of L. A. Confidential but, whereas the medium of literature enabled Dunne to bring a good measure of intrigue to the complexities of religious politics and finance, on the screen he struggles to hold the viewer's interest, while the Black Dahlia sub-plot is almost dismissively brushed aside.

Despite this, the plot reaches the screen with its intelligence and cynicism intact, relying on human interaction to drive the plot forward. Essentially a dissection of the relationship of two brothers, one a cop (Duvall) the other a sort of 'glamour priest' who weds wealthy couples and is earmarked for good things, the script steadfastly picks apart the threads of the brothers' lives to reveal the sensitivity and honour of the hard-bitten cop and the self-serving ability of the priest that enables him to turn a blind eye to all that he knows is rotten.

This is a film for adults. If you like gunplay or violence look elsewhere. But if you want to see a film that asks you to do a little work to understand the motivation and compulsions of its characters then this one will probably be worth a couple of hours of your time.

bappamtv

True Confessions

🎭 Top Cast

💰 Box Office

🎬 Technical Specs

🏷️ Keywords

🎯 Categories

⭐ Featured Review

💡 Did You Know?

🎬 More Like This

📖 Synopsis