Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- smoky
- morally ambiguous
- late night viewing
- classic noir night
What critics said
Critics generally found the performances and individual scenes compelling, while viewing the overall crime drama as uneven and insufficiently resolved.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Father Des Spellacy's priestly authority and Tom Spellacy's police work pull the brothers toward different responses to the murder investigation.
The investigation moves through 1940s Los Angeles institutions, brothels, police structures, and Catholic power networks.
The central relationship is the reunion of the long-separated Spellacy brothers after the prostitute's murder.
The film's neo-noir identity is expressed through its brooding Los Angeles crime setting and subdued, morally uncertain atmosphere.
Films like True Confessions, and why
Chinatown
shared neo-noir atmosphere, morally compromised institutions, and an investigation shaped by class and power
L.A. Confidential
shared 1940s Los Angeles setting, corruption-centered crime mystery, and brooding fatalism
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
shared Catholic guilt, police investigation, and serious character-driven crime drama
The Night of the Hunter
shared priestly morality, urban crime, and restrained psychological tension
Movie Details
- Director
- Ulu Grosbard
- Release Date
- 1981-09-25
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (193)
Cast
- Robert De Niro
- Robert Duvall
- Charles Durning
- Kenneth McMillan
- Ed Flanders
- Cyril Cusack
- Burgess Meredith
- Rose Gregorio
- Dan Hedaya
- Gwen Van Dam
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is True Confessions about?
- Two estranged brothers—a Catholic priest and an LAPD detective—confront faith, power, and family loyalty while a brutal murder exposes Los Angeles corruption.
- What is True Confessions like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of True Confessions as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is True Confessions violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in True Confessions as moderate.
- What did critics think of True Confessions?
- Critics generally found the performances and individual scenes compelling, while viewing the overall crime drama as uneven and insufficiently resolved.
- Which films are like True Confessions?
- Films with a similar feel include Chinatown, L.A. Confidential, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, and The Night of the Hunter.
- How long is True Confessions?
- True Confessions runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch True Confessions?
- In United States, True Confessions streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus.
