Word: priestly
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...DeNiro reins himself in until he is the most potent presence on the screen because the others sense his premendous superiority as a contained, pressurized neutron bomb. But it is still a matter of who is the better man, the most commanding man, and though DeNiro is a celibate priest, he is the winner. He has that intangible, the almost spiritual worldliness of great character, of a Caesar or a Kennedy. It compels everyone he meets. This priest is not only a man of the world but a champion of the world. He's always at the center, controlled, impeccable...
...opening certainly has promise. Two brothers meet in the desert chapel where one of them is a priest. They talk uneasily of old times, careful to stay away from still-raw wounds. They are settling old debts peacefully, ready to die. The scene then cuts abruptly to an ornate cathedral, where the priest is presiding over a wedding about 20 years earlier. The impression is of great power in his hands; apparently by mere force of his personality, the priest has harnessed all that this magnificent scene can offer. He is in control...
...even the plot raises some troubling questions. It concerns the efforts of a young and ambitious priest named Desmond Spellacy (De Niro), and his brother, Tom an L.A. detective (Duvall), to resolve the gruesome murder of a young and fallen lady. Tom's investigations lead (inconclusively) to one of the biggest contributors to the Catholic Church in southern California, the archdiocese in which Desmond's considerable ambitions lie. To its credit, True Confessions does not seek a tidy ending that will send the folks home happy, but rather explores the complication and ambiguities of this sordid situation; the message...
...dwell excessively on True Confessions' failings is to treat it--and the viewer--unfairly. De Niro alone makes the experience worthwhile. The role is somewhat uncharacteristic; as a priest, he must keep his emotions and lusts hidden, but their supression makes them that much more interesting. The desire for power dominates Des, consumes him; he revels in bureaucratic wars as well as more public displays of his control. Yet the genius of De Niro's Des is that he knows how badly he wants power, and he senses how tenuous his position might be--in both practical and moral terms...
...insult the intelligence nor test the patience. A solid citizen of the movie world, it probably will age well and linger pleasantly in the mind. But with the raw material available to its creators, it could have done more, made more of a difference. Like its ultimately disappointed priest, True Confessions might have walked with the angels, but instead settled for life with us mortals...