Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

True Confessions Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 2, 2014

1981’s “True Confessions” is a strange entry in the filmographies of stars Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall. Both actors were at the top of their game when they agreed to participate in this adaptation of a John Gregory Dunne novel (he scripts along with Joan Didion), with Duvall coming off “The Great Santini” and “Apocalypse Now,” while De Niro was king of the hill after his work on “Raging Bull.” Perhaps looking for a change of pace, the stars dial down their normal intensity to take part in “True Confessions,” a considered examination of murder, brotherhood, and moral choices.

Dunne’s story concerns the corruption of the Catholic Church in the 1940s, mixing in a murder mystery patterned after the “Black Dahlia” case, with plenty of longstanding relationships and antagonisms to keep the picture interesting. However, the script’s primary currency is guilt, with religious pressure and old-fashioned human fallibility delivering deep grooves for the production to explore. “True Confession” is at its best with introspection, allowing De Niro and Duvall to feel around the unfinished business of both characters, articulating the unrest and resignation that comes to define both men. Director Ulu Grosbard respects their space, and the rest of the cast (including Charles Durning, Kenneth McMillan, and Rose Gregorio) is terrific, contributing rich characterizations that widen the screenplay as it sets out to build toward an emotionally explosive conclusion.

True Confessions Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) looks to be sourced from an older master, with a slightly filtered appearance carrying through the viewing experience. Detail is passable, working with soft cinematography to deliver set expanse, with cavernous church spaces and the particulars of an early wedding sequence, highlighting all decoration and extras. Costumes and faces register with some texture. Colors are appropriate to the era, arriving colder but expressive, with solid hues on costuming and religious garb. Blacks are stable and communicative. Grain is subtle but effective, and print damage is regulated to speckles and a few blips of debris.

True Confessions Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix handles dialogue exchanges, with heated emotions registering cleanly. Scoring and musical performances during the picture hold their integrity, with satisfactory instrumentation, sounding deep and real. The period atmosphere is articulated adequately, but this is not an explosive track, maintaining a respect level of dramatic interaction without overt damage, including limited hiss.

True Confessions Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:17, HD) is included.

True Confessions Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"True Confessions" is thematically sound and sharply assembled, setting a post-war L.A. mood without overdoing the ornamentation. Pace comes to be something of a problem for the movie, with the production missing editorial snap, trying to retain a literary edge by lingering on pained looks. It's a sluggish picture at times, but it sustains its dramatic intentions, completing a brotherly respect arc with taste and complexity. It's not peppy, but "True Confessions" has a special sense of feeling interpreted by a dynamite cast.