Customer Reviews

The Confessor

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Christian Slater pulls off his character well. He doesn't push the "Jesus" envelope at all.
Stephen Rea - Gives a grand performance, just occult enough to cause an eyebrow raise.
Gordon Pinsent - Weak, but villainous enough to be entertaining.
Nancy Beatty - A great bitch! She's mean, but one can "feel" an underbelly of self cruelty as well.

The writing is intelligent and doesn't push the religious faction of the film at all. God and organized religion are subtexts to the main plot of the film. This type of film usually leaves the watcher with a feeling of being "Bible Thumped" for two hours. This film doesn't. It meanders through the reality of the church and it's true reality of humanism. The characters are well written and acted without the usual over dramatic scenes. This film is convoluted but it entertains. It's a drama yes, but more so an low paced action film within the genre of suspense. A great ending as well leaves you nicely entertained.

This film is entertaining. It's not overtly memorable, but it's fun and thought provoking. You'll enjoy it, once.

Some films are like spaghetti with red sauce at your favorite joint. They don't pretend to be haute cuisine, but with any luck they're filling and don't repeat on you. The Confessor fills the bill. It's tightly written, well acted and shot with no waste or indulgence. Though this film's plot and themes are provocative, it handles them without sensation and exploitation. Instead, we're given quiet thoughtful scenes peopled with believable characters.

The Confessor is kept blissfully brief, permitting only the scenes necessary to illuminate Slater's character and the mystery that's forcing him to question his self concept. This film is as much a character study as a thriller and Slater is very credible as the cleric-capitalist "hero". Fleshing out the script's sparse strokes with admirable restraint, he manages to keep us positively interested in a character that we'd otherwise disdain or disengage from.

The direction and cinematography are competent but unembellished, offering only a few poetic / artistic shots. The two that spring to mind are: the wine pouring shot with Slater and Rea, and Slater's end of day offload of his personal items. (He places his Rolex watch and Day Planner next to his Bible on the lectern in his somewhat lavish domicile.)

Unlike many films of its genre, The Confessor offers neither writhing scenes of moral agony nor bombastic out-of-character heroics. Thematically, the film permits viewers to select the polemic in which they wish to engage: the role of the church in a secular world, the role of the cleric within the church, or simply, the inevitable waning of youthful passion and what to do about it. Still, some may find this film boring, so if you're scared off by the phrase character study, then stay away from this film.

This movie did not receive good reviews because it is somewhat simplistic and it criticizes the Roman Catholic Church; but it is a fairly good drama. We are introduced to Christian Slater who is a priest who is good in handling the business ends of the church, but not its religious mission. He enjoys the riches of the church, the costly car, gold watch, expensive wines and foods. He is called by a priest of a very poor parish who is accused of murder. The priest remembers Slater from school as a man who could amount to something. In contrast to Slater, this priest is very pious, more pious even than his bishop who wants to see his case handled as quickly as possible so as not to embarrass the church, even if the priest is found guilty. The priest could prove his innocence if he would reveal a confession that he heard, but insists, despite the admonitions of Slater and his bishop, not to violate the sanctity of the confessional. Two more murders follow, and Slater, despite his inadequacies, burdened by his conscious, decides to assume the parish priest's duties, after his presumed suicide. He realizes that a pious man like the priest who refused to reveal a confession would never violate church law against suicides. Slater also refuses to obey his bishop, gives up the above-mentioned accoutrements, and goes off to solve the three murders.

Christian Slater plays a worldly Catholic priest who is good at fund-raising. If you think Christian Slater is terribly miscast, there are more terrible things to come in "The Confessor," of which story starts like "Primal Fear," but ends like "Alone in the Dark."

Christian Slater is Daniel, a priest sent to meet another priest who is arrested for murder. The arrested priest pleads innocence, but would not tell the facts concerning the truths about what really happened. While the local media follows the case, with the ace reporter Madeline (Molly Parker) interviewing the suspect, another thing happens to Daniel, which makes him investigate the case on his own despite the friendly advice from Stephen Rae's character.

In spite of its slick pace, the film has little suspense throughout. The murder case itself is hardly intriguing or mysterious, with so many plot holes and incredible decisions of the characters. I heard more than one reviewer on the internet rightly complaining "The Confessor" goes like a made-for-TV crime thriller. But I think many, if not all, TV shows would spend more time on showing police procedures, at least the standard ones. Here the police can arrest a person without showing any physical evidences. There is an eyewitness, of which presence is totally forgotten until nearly the one-hour mark. To make things worse, the Church and its organization do not work as story's background to enhance the atmosphere.

The past romance between Slater's priest and Parker's reporter is implied. Actually, their suggested relation is the most mysterious and intriguing part of the film. The rest of the film is just an ordinary whodunit.