The Confessor

No pun intended - now we only need to find out who I am talking about (also singular or plural)? What do you reckon and do you even care? This will be quite the interesting question throughout ... just have faith (come on, I had to). Something our main character may or may not have. Christian Slater in one of the better low budget efforts he had to do I reckon (everyone needs money) ... stellar cast too.

The movie actually could have been from the 90s - it has that feeling to it. The script actually might be from that time (and mind set). I would argue that you may know or guess the truth way before it is being revealed ... but does it really matter, if you have a good time along the way? Well you know what I mean by that ... hopefully.

Uneventful Opening.

+1 Star For the Priest who upholds the honor and integrity of the confessional despite having uh...how shall i say......'flaws' ?

Okay this movie really didn't have a lot of umph to it at all..

The ending was very quick and really didn't add anything.

-1 Star really for the whole 2nd half of the movie.

5/10 is probably being generous....

"The Confessor" AKA "The Good Shepherd" is a well-acted drama.

The plot: Father Daniel Clemens (Slater) has uncovered a murder mystery involving other priests and corruption in his church. Can he uncover the truth?

Christian Slater puts in a good performance as usual. Parker also holds her own. The mystery is a little uneven and the ending is weak, but overall the movie is worth seeing. It goes in too many directions. The director made another movie called "Gone Dark" which is a hidden gem.

In the end: "The Confessor" is decent little mystery if you don't take it too seriously.

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I am not a big Christian Slater fan, but I think he did a good job with this effort. He plays a hip, high-profile priest, who knows how to wheel and deal like a Wall-Street veteran. He becomes involved in a parish murder mystery that is entertaining, and most importantly, not predictable. There are a few problems with the film, but we overlook them because it is an interesting premise. Plot done before by a few films; most notably "I Confess" with Montgomery Cliff. A woman is murdered and a parish priest is charged with her murder. Slater takes it from there, trying to unravel the mystery. Not bad.

Father Daniel Clemens (Christian Slater) does money solicitation and financial work for the church. He's called in for admiror Father Andrews who was arrested for murder. Andrews can't prove his innocence due to the seal of confession. Clemens has his friend McCaran (Stephen Rea). Cardinal Ledesna (Gordon Pinsent) orders Clemens to handle the case. He struggles to do PR and investigate with the help of reporter Madeline Finney (Molly Parker) with whom he has a past.

This is a Canadian production that pulled in some bigger actors. Stephen Rea is woefully underserved. It's obvious what they're setting him up for but it's a waste of a great actor. As a mystery, it doesn't lay out the clues and twists that well. The filmmaking is plain. It needs a better filmmaker to inject real intensity and brooding mood. Neither writer nor director seem to have gone on to do much else. The church's internal battle needs something bigger and more ominous. The forbidden love between Daniel and Madeline has no heat and is awkward when the heat is turned up. There are elements of a better film but this puts it together like a movie of the week. It's only when Stephen Rea, Slater, and Parker join forces do the movie starts pulling together.