His future was uncertain. His every move was being watched. Very Good Film! One of Charlie Kaufman's more overlooked and underrated screenplays, 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind' may have been something of a departure from the high-concept experimentalism that made his previous brainchildren, 'Being John Malkovich' and 'Adaptation' (a masterpiece and a near-masterpiece, respectively) such striking breaths of fresh air, but on no account should its ability to engage and entertain on those strengths of its own be underestimated. Taking a well-earned break from the surreal situations and the complex plotting, Kaufman turned his attention here to a much more straightforward yarn that was better grounded in reality; the twist there being that it was based on a story that, while allegedly true, just as likely never happened. 'Confessions' though is willing to give Chuck Barris the benefit of the doubt in regards to his dubious claims to have been a secret assassin for the CIA in the midst of his days as a game show host, giving life to such controversial classic as 'the Gong Show' and 'the Dating Game' while taking it from a range of human targets around the globe. It sits back and lets the scenario unfold without question - and does so with such considerable spirit and vigour that it's hard not to get lured in and pulled along for the ride. Regardless of whether the real-life Barris truly did have some incredible adventures within his time, or simply an overly-active imagination, this ×movie translates it into one heck of an enjoyable romp - slick, stylish and entrancing on the surface, and with a bracingly poignant and sobering tale lurking underneath. It's not an innovative, far-out, one-of-a-kind experience (a la 'Being John Malkovich'). But it's an entertaining, well-made and entirely satisfying flick with one particularly brilliant stand-out performance, and that's more than enough to do the job. Kaufman can probably pen avant-garde better than anybody else today, but 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind' goes to prove that, when in the right company, he can write 'normal' just as impressively. Television made him famous, but his biggest hits happened off screen. "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" is the story of a legendary showman's double life - television producer by day, CIA assassin by night. At the height of his TV career, Chuck Barris was recruited by the CIA and trained to become a covert operative. Or so Barris said.

This is one of those films that took forever to get made, had a lot of turnover in terms of casting, directors, and screenwriters. Because this film did take twenty years to make, and had some creative differences between director George Clooney and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, there are some strange scenes and odd choices to this semi-biographic film about host, show creator, and supposed CIA operative Chuck Barris. The main objective of the film is to show the true story of Chuck Barris, based on his autobiography, and that earnest attitude towards staying true to a set of events that are widely disputed makes cartoonish circumstances come off as corny and strange. If the script had been handled appropriately and given the credence that a Kaufman script deserves, then this film would be better received than it already is. As a straight biopic this film is off-putting at every turn, but as a general film it remains very interesting. Sam Rockwell has the swag and confidence to be a bigger star than he's given credit for, and he proves that in this film as well as the critically acclaimed "Moon". The rest of the cast is engaging, and the film stays interesting, but when it comes to Barris being a spy, everything feels slow, methodical, and sluggish. Particularly when it comes to Julia Roberts' performances, the story gets a bit muddled. There is some action, though it belies the point of the actual movie, and makes it harder to characterize really who Barris is. Is he the smart and affable game show creator, the thrust upon hero, or the wronged man who has taken on too much responsibility? You can never feel close to the character, and you can never understand him either. If it's not flashing game show clips at you it all feels bleak and wrong.