I Confess Reviews

Hitchcock's fans are bound to find something or another interesting in this simple crime drama, but I failed to hail any part of it. Not just the predictability, but the too-good-to-be-real love story also distracted me. Despite watching a work of fiction, I simply couldn't ignore that sort of execution.

A murderer confesses his dirt to a Catholic priest, but will the priest keep his vow of silence ... even after the priest is accused of the crime? Like The Wrong Man, this (beautifully filmed in noirish black and white) is chock full of Catholic imagery and bravura performances by the principals, but the melodramatic script renders this only Hitchcock lite, which is still better than a lot.

Not Alfred Hitchcock's best.

I Confess raises a very good question, how far can you question certain figures and are certain beliefs above the law. It rings a little bit hollow though as Priests have a duty to report such crimes and are, and have been for a while, instructed to do so. It doesn't have the intrigue that you'd expect from a Hitchcock thriller but it is brilliantly shot and while the acting is good, it is Karl Malden as Inspector Larrue who steals the show in my opinion.

I must confess, this is a fantastic movie! Any Hitchcock movie from the fifties is fantastic, really, and this movie is no exception to that rule. I love it.

I think itâ??s an extremely well shot film, however it is not exactly suspenseful. Hitchcock usually had a sense of what would thrill and frighten viewers, but this was one of his rare misses in judgment. Itâ??s not a bad movie by any stretch, the acting is well done and it has beautiful â??Canadianâ?? sets, but itâ??s just not all that likable. I think itâ??s more infuriating that you know everything from the start and that makes for a largely dull experience.

The pursuit and persecution of "the wrong man" is a reoccurring theme in many Hitchcock productions. Here, in I Confess, a young catholic priest (Montgomery Clift) is falsely accused of murder. Clift knows exactly who the real killer is but cannot divulge the information because of the sanctity of confession.

The pairing of two legends like Montgomery Clift and Alfred Hitchcock is, in my opinion, a match made in heaven. It undoubtedly works here. What a shame that these two didn't combine forces more often. Perhaps it was Clift's infamous persistence and devotion to 'method acting' that confounded his director (?). Whatever it was, I would have certainly liked to have seen more collaborations like this one.

Confession to a priest over a murder ? it?s been done time and time again, but this film offers a little twist on the subject. Great plot, but wasn?t blown over by this film ? perhaps this is one that could benefit from a remake?

Clift, Baxter, Hasse and Malden all stand out with great performances. Hitchcock accomplishes a noirish, distressing and beautiful film.

not major league Hitch, but any hitchcock is worth seeing once.

One of Hitchcock's weaker and less memorable films.

An excellent performance by Montgomery Clift. Anne Baxter is not so good but competend. The dramatic core of the story is powerful (the dillema of the priest) and the film certainly builds some truly emotional moments from it (the scene right after the end of the trial in which Clift walks away into the crowd is great). But the finale is anticlimatic. The hero gets away too easily in the end. It is unfair to criticize the film in terms of lacking suspence. Hitchcock has other qualities as a filmmaker too and not evry film must be suspenceful. Also, there must be a mention of the soundtrack which includes some really nice variations of Dies Irae by Tiomkin. Sometimes there is too much music though and that makes the rhythm of the film look forceful at times. Overall a really good film.

Glistens with the finesse of Alfred Hitchcock's direction. As far as the technical aspect of the film goes, it is a really polished and interesting-looking project. Aside from a few minor flaws, the script is very effective and provides room for some top-notch acting. Montgomery Clift, playing a very difficult and inevitably restrained role, designs a lot of his performance around expressions and gestures. I loved watching him in this film, and I think his work in it is commendable. The always-reliable Karl Malden turns in a solid supporting performance as well.

I was pretty underwhelmed by this movie. I think I had seen The Lady Vanishes a few nights before, which really raised my expectations for this because I thought that was wonderful. Knowing (basically) precisely what had happened about 10 minutes into the movie was not something that worked for me, because, for me, part of the beauty of a Hitchcock suspense movie is watching the mystery unravel, which never really happened here. I was somewhat unengaged in the movie. That said Karl Malden, Anne Baxter, and Monty Clift were all delights to watch. I didn't really like O.E. Hasse as much though.

"I Confess" is a great suspense film in true Hitchcockian style. Montgomery Clift and Anne Baxter are amazing as they play opposite of each other in this film. His attractiveness and her classiness make each perfect for his/her role. Hitchcock used so many creative camera angles that have become standard in thrillers today. Some of my favorites in this movie include the view from behind Baxter's chair during her phone conversation where we just see part of her head leaning against her hand with the phone and hearing her sad voice. Also, when Clift and Baxter are on the ferry and suspicious that there are cops on board and the music booms each time the camera cuts to a different person. The concept of this movie is fantastic. It would be good if we had to wonder whether the priest would reveal what was told to him in confession. But it is GREAT when he would have to do so in order to prove his own innocence. All of the actors display great talent in this film, as every emotion can be seen each time Hitchcock shows a close-up of their eyes. You will feel frustration, uneasiness, and angst as you are left to anticipate the final resolution of this film.

good & Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter & Karl Malden were fantastic... disappointed that I knew the killer at the beginning unlike other Hitchcock movies...

Not as suspenseful as other Hitchcock films, but the main character is so admirable it made the rating a little higher.

I Confess is a nicely mixed blend of romance, mystery, murder, and courtroom drama. Montgomery Clift gives one of her best performances in this underrated Hitchcock thriller. And in my opinion, it's one of Hitchcock's best ever. Hardly a dull moment. An excellent film.

I Confess tells the story of a man who is murdered. The murderer confesses to a priest (Montgomery Clift) who is not allowed to tell the police anything that he hears in confession. The evidence soon suggests that the priest is in fact guilty and things look even more bleak when it turns out Clift and a woman (Anne Baxter) are being blackmailed by the murdered man because of the romantic relationship between the priest and woman. While the notion of a priest being romantically linked to anyone may be offensive to some viewers (the film was initially banned in the Republic of Ireland for this very reason) I was not the least bit offended and found the plot to be rather enjoyable. In fact, of the black and white Hitchcock films I've seen, this is easily the most interesting.

The film stars the aforementioned Mongomery Clift (pre-car accident) and Anne Baxter in addition to former Oscar winner Karl Malden. Overall the acting is pretty good especially Clift and his method acting. Not only does Clift do a good job delivering his lines and such, he also comes off as a rather believable priest and supposedly studied a bit on how priests walk, act, etc. to make his portrayal more realistic.

Also worth noting is the picture itself in this film. While I don't normally pay that much attention to these types of things, the lighting, camera angles, and other things unrelated to the plot are done quite well in this film. It is shot on location in Quebec City, Canada which is a pretty neat city from the looks of it. The film has quite a few subtle visual references to religious symbols quite often when the priest is on film. One such example would be while giving testimony at his trial there is a crucifix hanging on the wall.

Overall this film is great and offers everything from romance, courtroom drama, jury deliberations, murder, and everything in between. The film is only about 90 minutes long and I would have liked to see a few things expanded on, but this isn't a major problem. Nothing feels rushed and everything is explained well and Hitchcock never did make long movies.

88/100
B+

UP NEXT: More method acting with James Dean in his first role, East of Eden.