A Few Words About A few words about...™ True Confessions -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

I will be getting this...

I'll be spinning this on the weekend. Looking forward to seeing it again.

I love this film and I believe it is an underrated gem. Not only are De Niro and Duvall great but so is the rest of the cast...which is loaded with wonderful character actors--Charles Durning, Kenneth McMillan, Burgess Meredith, Ed Flanders, and Cyril Cusak--that all add to the depth and atmosphere of the film. I watched the blu-ray last week and thought it was a very solid presentation. Thanks for your post about this, Mr. Harris.

Saw this in the theater when it was first released. Would agree that there are some great performances in it, but do believe that it is not an underrated film. Overall I found it depressing with no real depth to it. Also had the impression it was trying to imitate the Catholic novels of Graham Greene. Obviously I think it did a poor job at that, but someone who appreciates Greene's work should probably check it out anyways.

Ahab said:

Saw this in the theater when it was first released. Would agree that there are some great performances in it, but do believe that it is not an underrated film. Overall I found it depressing with no real depth to it. Also had the impression it was trying to imitate the Catholic novels of Graham Greene. Obviously I think it did a poor job at that, but someone who appreciates Greene's work should probably check it out anyways.

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You spoke for me. I too saw this when it first came out and I too found it a dreary and shallow film. I will not be buying this disc.

To counter some other negative comments, I liked this film very much and will be watching the BD in the coming days.

Well, I would not deny that the subject matter is some grim stuff but I think the film takes a very interesting approach to it. While there is a brutal murder at the center of the story (obviously inspired by a real life brutal murder I won't get in to) rather than focus on the murder and cracking the case as most films would the focus is on how the murder has a lasting effect on all the characters...particularly the two brothers played by Duvall and De Niro. The complaint that I would expect from most people is the film does not proceed like a typical detective story but rather delves into all of the personalities. The gruesome murder is pushed to the background and the lives of all the players and the politics of their circumstances come to the fore. To me it seemed a lot like the approach taken by True Detective and I enjoyed all the character development that would generally be shoved aside by the "whodunit" aspect. I certainly did not see it as shallow..subtle, sure...but I saw that as one of the film's strengths.

An understated gem, with little to do with Greene or James Ellroy, for that matter. Ah for the days when De Niro commanded the screen with stillness, not hambone theatrics.

I'll split the difference on this one: saw it in the theatre, liked it for what it was, bought the DVD several years ago, still haven't watched it, probably won't upgrade unless it's very inexpensive.

I don't think it's a great film, but I do like it. The cast makes it worthwhile.

But I did burst out laughing at the description on the back of the blu-ray that promises a "mind-blowing climax that will bring you to the edge of your seat!" LOL. I never understood the policy of lying to get someone to see or buy a film. 9 times out of 10 it only leads to disappointment and bad word of mouth. Be honest and let the film find it's true audience.