True Confessions

Name: True Confessions
Genre: Drama, Crime
Released: September 25, 1981
Duration: 108 min
Rating: 68
Cast: Burgess Meredith, Charles Durning, Cyril Cusack, Dan Hedaya, Ed Flanders

1981

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Ratings

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True Confessions

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Movie Details & Credits

United Artists | Release Date: September 25, 1981 | R

Starring: Burgess Meredith, Charles Durning, Cyril Cusack, Dan Hedaya, Ed Flanders, Gwen Van Dam, Kenneth McMillan, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Rose Gregorio

Summary: A worldly ambitious monsignor (Robert DeNiro) clashes with his older brother (Robert DuVall), a cynical Los Angeles homicide detective who is investigating the brutal murder of a young prostitute.

Director: Ulu Grosbard

Genre(s): Drama, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 108 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Jack Kroll

De Niro's exquisite underacting seems partly designed as a foil for Duvall's special ability to express repressed rage and explosive anxiety. They develop a complex and riveting relationship that's one of the most brilliant brother acts in screen history. [28 Sept 1981, p.87]

100

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

The period detail is letter-perfect, the cast is uniformly excellent, and Delerue's score is haunting and evocative. TRUE CONFESSIONS is a thoughtful but deeply disturbing film, and its frank portrayal of corruption and murder makes it for adults only. Read full review

100

Vincent Canby

Marvelously well-acted...Quite simply it's one of the most entertaining, most intelligent and most thoroughly satisfying commercial American films in a very long time. Read full review

Dave Kehr

The film looks like an attempt to make a Martin Scorsese movie without Martin Scorsese. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

The two Roberts (Duvall as cop, De Niro as priest) turn in potentially great performances, but are given precious little to work with. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Comes off as relatively mild fare which fails to pack a dramatic or emotional wallop. Read full review

Pauline Kael

But the movie is in a stupor; everything is internalized. Duvall is locked in, and De Niro is in his chameleon trance - he seems flaccid, preoccupied...You have to put up a struggle to get anything out of this picture.

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User Reviews

Habibiehakim

Nov 9, 2021

It took me so long to like this movie, and the main reason why the movie is overall just an ok movie is because Duvall and De Niro story comparison, Duvall murder case story is more exciting, interesting, and enjoyable to watch, while De Niro as a preacher having this boring life and everyIt took me so long to like this movie, and the main reason why the movie is overall just an ok movie is because Duvall and De Niro story comparison, Duvall murder case story is more exciting, interesting, and enjoyable to watch, while De Niro as a preacher having this boring life and every time for the most part in the beginning till the middle is just empty, they're story finally connected at near the end and to be honest i really like it, i'm interested and excited at both connected story, it finally works until the end of the film, and yes the movie can be way better than this if the only story was Duvall story and they change De Niro character, True Confessions is sort of mixed at the beginning till the middle but it's fixed and works so well towards the end.… Expand

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