ROBERT DE NIRO   ROBERT DUVALL   BURGESS MEREDITH  

CHARLES DURNING   and   ED FLANDERS

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TRUE CONFESSIONS

VHS - PAL - Ex-Rental - Professionally Cleaned - M-rated - Colour - 1981-release - 110-minutes - Original VHS release in Australia - Large box

It's the late 1940s. Brothers Des Spellacy and Tom Spellacy are a Catholic monsignor in the Los Angeles diocese and a LAPD homicide detective respectively. 

While they do get along, they spend little time together as they live their own lives. 

Tom has not led a totally clean life, being on the take, and once having been involved with a madam named Brenda Samuels. 

And while Des, in his ambition, is slowly rising through the ranks of the Catholic church - his prudent financial management of the diocese's infrastructure projects impressing Cardinal Danaher - Des can only admit to himself that he may not be the best for a person in his position if only for never having had "the calling". 

Their lives are brought closer together with two cases that pass through Tom's desk. 

The first is the death of one of Des' colleagues, a parish priest, and although the death looks to be from natural causes, it is in an unsavory situation. 

The second is of a young woman named Lois Fazenda, coined by the media as "the Virgin Tramp" in both being a prostitute and a Catholic. 

As the cases may bring the brothers ultimately at odds with each other, it also highlights the the true nature of each where things are not always black or white.

True Confessions is a film wherein all of the players are at the top of their game. 

Although starring Robert Duval and Robert DeNiro, the depth of field among the character actors is extraordinary, and this is why a movie that's seems to have so little going on is really so overwhelmingly powerful. 

Both Duval and DeNiro seem to communicate without speaking; almost as though their thoughts are being sub-titled on the screen. 

Whenever they do begin talking with each other, the weight of their shared past has the force of a sledge hammer. 

I have a VHS copy of True Confessions, have watched it plenty of times and still find fresh nuances whenever I look at it. You have to see this movie.