This one has been on my radar for sometime now, as I've been meaning to get more of Christian Slater's DTV work in, and this was on Netflix Watch Instantly. A win-win, right? But platitudes aside, I wasn't really sure what to expect from it, which always makes me a little apprehensive-- I've seen more of these go bad than good.
The Confessor has Slater as a priest who is living the good life. His public relations savvy and uncanny ability to raise money from wealthy donors has made him an invaluable asset to the Catholic Church, and he's been reaping the benefits. All of that changes when a fellow priest is accused of murder, and he asks specifically to talk to Slater. Slater sees quick that not all is as it appears, and through this priest's case, his faith is renewed-- even if the Church brass would rather sweep this situation under the rug and get Slater back out there banging the donations drum.
I actually liked this. It's not the usual fare we have here at the DTVC, and we've seen more of these attempts at plot driven DTV go bad than we've seen them work, but this one did. It brought up a lot of complicated issues regarding the Catholic Church's place in modern society-- issues I don't want to convert this blog into a forum on, but still very intriguing nonetheless-- and layered them throughout a pretty solid murder mystery. There were also some great performances from Slater, Oscar nominee Stephen Rea, and Molly Parker, among others. It had a bit of a TV movie feel to it-- think more Hallmark Channel than Lifetime-- but with the layers and nuance and performances, it had a little more to get it over the hump.
Slater was excellent here. This is actually the second time we've seen him on here as a priest, the other being Sacrifice co-starring Cuba Gooding Jr. Part of me says "Why is this guy condemned to a life of DTV?", but when I think about it, whose starring roles would he be taking in Hollywood? He'd probably end up doing supporting roles and smaller parts, so I guess DTV is the best bet for him to do something like this where he gets to be the lead. Hey, we're glad to have him, and looking at his imdb bio, he's got some pretty sweet stuff coming down the pike.
This is our second Stephen Rea film we've done, the first being the Van Damme flick Until Death. In that one, I joked about how Rea must've been imagining what he'd put on his vanity plate for the new sports car he'd buy with the money he made from that horrible film, as a way to get through pain of shooting it (GDHLPME). This was a different story, but still, it's no Crying Game. I think in his case, he's been unjustly pigeonholed into the title of "Poor Man's Geoffrey Rush", which has cost him a lot of the bigger parts he had in the past. Again, his loss is our gain, because he's great in films like this.
There are two different covers for this. The one I hotlinked is the one you see at imdb. Netflix Watch Instantly has a very different one, making it look more like a supernatural thriller or something. I guess you have to do things like that with DVD covers in the world of DTV-- I mean, I'm not telling any of you anything, because I'm sure if you're like me you've seen some pretty ridiculous cases at the video store-- but it just feels out of place for a movie like this that doesn't need it. On the Netflix cover, there's a shadowy figure in a hood, and at no point in the film is there a shadowy figure in a hood. On the other hand, the Netflix categorization of it as a "Religious and Spiritual Drama" also does it a disservice, because, while the Catholic religion plays a major part, it's more there to add layers to what is essentially a murder mystery. Seeing "Religious and Spiritual Drama" makes me think it's going to be some kind of Kirk Cameron deal.
I could not for the life of me think of a seventh paragraph here, so I settled on this: did you know two of Slater's bigger films, Kuffs and Hard Rain, are no longer available on Netflix? I saw Kuffs in the theater, and now it's not readily available on DVD? That was a pretty big deal when it came out. And Hard Rain co-stars Morgan Freeman-- he's still a big deal! I also can't believe Hard Rain came out in 1998. Doesn't that sound late for that one? That means it came out in when I was in college. It definitely feels like a high school one.
All right, before this devolves into too much of a trip down memory lane, let's wrap things up. Though I enjoyed this, I must stress that it is just a murder mystery. No action, no sex, no nudity, no on-screen murder scenes, just a straight up who-dun-it with the added layers provided with some very intriguing interplay involving the religious aspects. If that sounds like your bag, I'd go check it out on Netflix Watch Instantly.
For more info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372303/
Great review. This was released on DVD here in Finland before the US. It was 19.99€ for exactly two weeks and after that I picked it up for 1.99€. Thought it would suck, but I noticed Brad Mirman's name as the writer and liked Resurrection a lot, so took a chance and... I liked it, too.
ReplyDeleteKuffs was released here with Goldwyn's f-words intact (not bleeped out with sfx). Normally I'm against censorship, but now it ruined the whole joke. By the way, I made over $200 for buying Kuffs soundtracks from Germany and selling them to US buyers, so that film (or rather the CD) has a special place in my hart :)
Check out Slater in Mindhunters. Very underrated film from my fellow countryman, Renny Harlin.
Great Review! Also enjoyed The Confessor. Slater, Parker and Rea put in good performances.
ReplyDeleteand you're right: It is weird that Hard Rain came out 13 years ago! Also Slater is at his best in "Pursued" (2004).
I like that you liked Confessor too, and that you made money selling Kuffs soundtracks-- what a great deal. I'd been looking at Mind Hunters, because it has a pretty stellar cast, so I may bump it up in the Slater rotation. Another one of your countryman whose films I enjoy is Aki Kaurismaki. Can't wait to check out his new one, Le Havre.
ReplyDeleteTy, we posted simultaneously, I don't think that has ever happened before. Pursued is another that has been on my radar, and I missed it when it was on Watch Instantly, and have been hoping they'll bring it back, but I may have to bite the bullet and rent it. The next one I have on my list for him is Hard Cash, which I saw a long time ago and will withhold my thoughts on for the review; but Slater is definitely one I'll be looking to do more of, especially as we get more of the Hall of Famers' filmographies completed and have room for new faces.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting cultural difference here, because I personally wouldn't watch a Kaurismaki film even if someone paid me to (hasn't happened) or if a pretty girl would ask (has happened, and yes, I refused). He uses the Finnish language in ways that...well, it's impossible to explain, but people just don't talk like that here. IMDb says: "Most of the Finnish dialog in his films is hypercorrect literary language, which is rarely spoken in real life", but that doesn't do it justice. If you're really hammered, you'll find major camp value in his films. Otherwise, I prefer cyanide.
ReplyDeleteI'd say Pursued was average, but Slater was indeed very good there. A difficult guy to judge, Slater. He shouldn't belong in the DTV world, but as you so brilliantly pointed out, who would he replace? Is he a an action hero, a villain, a comedian, a dramatic guy, what? Weird fellow, but I like him and his films. And Hard Cash! Holy f'n crap! If you don't mention those special effects in your review, I never trust you again! What the hell were they thinking?!
I've almost DVR'ed this a couple times now. I'll have to give it a whirl. I'm a big Slater fan, so I'm sorta glad he's getting a good DTV resume going. I'm sure he'd rather be a big fish in a little pond than take occasional supporting roles in theatrical stuff. I've only seen a smattering of his recent stuff but he's been solid in almost everything (he was easily the best part of Dolan's Cadillac). Nothing can top his early Jack Nicholson impressioning days though. Legend of Billy Jean, Heathers, Young Guns 2, and of course the immortal Kuffs. Not many people can do the whole Breaking the 4th Wall and Talking to the Audience thing without making it look forced and goofy, but Slater can do it with the best of them. If he and Milla re-teamed for a DTV sequel to THAT, I'd be there in a red hot minute.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I second the love for Hard Cash and Mindhunters. Both would make an excellent Slater/Kilmer Double Feature (and throw in True Romance in there for good measure).
ReplyDeleteHard Rain is also vastly underrated.
That is odd we posted at the same time!
ReplyDeleteYeah, Slater has a wealth of great DTV stuff, and I can't wait to get into it. Speaking of the Jack Nicholson impressions, remember that skit he did on SNL about the device that blows people's hair back so they don't have to hold it back while doing their Jack impression?
ReplyDeleteWhat you say about Kaurismaki's use of Finnish vernacular makes me like him even more. He's very much like an American director I love, Jim Jarmusch. More an art house cat than a mainstream director. I loved his Proletariat Trilogy.