I Confess (1953)

Featured Audience Ratings

• moon r

  
  A murderer confesses his dirt to a Catholic priest, but will the priest keep his vow of silence ... even after the priest is accused of the crime? Like The Wrong Man, this (beautifully filmed in noirish black and white) is chock full of Catholic imagery and bravura performances by… More
  A murderer confesses his dirt to a Catholic priest, but will the priest keep his vow of silence ... even after the priest is accused of the crime? Like The Wrong Man, this (beautifully filmed in noirish black and white) is chock full of Catholic imagery and bravura performances by the principals, but the melodramatic script renders this only Hitchcock lite, which is still better than a lot.

• Alexander D

  
  Not Alfred Hitchcock's best.

• Anthony L

  
  I Confess raises a very good question, how far can you question certain figures and are certain beliefs above the law. It rings a little bit hollow though as Priests have a duty to report such crimes and are, and have been for a while, instructed to do so. It doesn't have the… More
  I Confess raises a very good question, how far can you question certain figures and are certain beliefs above the law. It rings a little bit hollow though as Priests have a duty to report such crimes and are, and have been for a while, instructed to do so. It doesn't have the intrigue that you'd expect from a Hitchcock thriller but it is brilliantly shot and while the acting is good, it is Karl Malden as Inspector Larrue who steals the show in my opinion.

• AJ V

  
  I must confess, this is a fantastic movie! Any Hitchcock movie from the fifties is fantastic, really, and this movie is no exception to that rule. I love it.

• Conner R

  
  I think it’s an extremely well shot film, however it is not exactly suspenseful. Hitchcock usually had a sense of what would thrill and frighten viewers, but this was one of his rare misses in judgment. It’s not a bad movie by any stretch, the acting is well done and it has… More
  I think it’s an extremely well shot film, however it is not exactly suspenseful. Hitchcock usually had a sense of what would thrill and frighten viewers, but this was one of his rare misses in judgment. It’s not a bad movie by any stretch, the acting is well done and it has beautiful “Canadian” sets, but it’s just not all that likable. I think it’s more infuriating that you know everything from the start and that makes for a largely dull experience.

• Randy T

  
  The pursuit and persecution of "the wrong man" is a reoccurring theme in many Hitchcock productions. Here, in <i>I Confess</i>, a young catholic priest (Montgomery Clift) is falsely accused of murder. Clift knows exactly who the real killer is but cannot… More
  The pursuit and persecution of "the wrong man" is a reoccurring theme in many Hitchcock productions. Here, in <i>I Confess</i>, a young catholic priest (Montgomery Clift) is falsely accused of murder. Clift knows exactly who the real killer is but cannot divulge the information because of the sanctity of confession. The pairing of two legends like Montgomery Clift and Alfred Hitchcock is, in my opinion, a match made in heaven. It undoubtedly works here. What a shame that these two didn't combine forces more often. Perhaps it was Clift's infamous persistence and devotion to 'method acting' that confounded his director (?). Whatever it was, I would have certainly liked to have seen more collaborations like this one.

• Lady D

  
  Confession to a priest over a murder ? it?s been done time and time again, but this film offers a little twist on the subject. Great plot, but wasn?t blown over by this film ? perhaps this is one that could benefit from a remake?

• Pierluigi P

  
  Clift, Baxter, Hasse and Malden all stand out with great performances. Hitchcock accomplishes a noirish, distressing and beautiful film.

• jay n

  
  not major league Hitch, but any hitchcock is worth seeing once.

• Michael G

  
  One of Hitchcock's weaker and less memorable films.

• George M

  
  An excellent performance by Montgomery Clift. Anne Baxter is not so good but competend. The dramatic core of the story is powerful (the dillema of the priest) and the film certainly builds some truly emotional moments from it (the scene right after the end of the trial in which Clift… More
  An excellent performance by Montgomery Clift. Anne Baxter is not so good but competend. The dramatic core of the story is powerful (the dillema of the priest) and the film certainly builds some truly emotional moments from it (the scene right after the end of the trial in which Clift walks away into the crowd is great). But the finale is anticlimatic. The hero gets away too easily in the end. It is unfair to criticize the film in terms of lacking suspence. Hitchcock has other qualities as a filmmaker too and not evry film must be suspenceful. Also, there must be a mention of the soundtrack which includes some really nice variations of Dies Irae by Tiomkin. Sometimes there is too much music though and that makes the rhythm of the film look forceful at times. Overall a really good film.

• Mike T

  
  Glistens with the finesse of Alfred Hitchcock's direction. As far as the technical aspect of the film goes, it is a really polished and interesting-looking project. Aside from a few minor flaws, the script is very effective and provides room for some top-notch acting. Montgomery… More
  Glistens with the finesse of Alfred Hitchcock's direction. As far as the technical aspect of the film goes, it is a really polished and interesting-looking project. Aside from a few minor flaws, the script is very effective and provides room for some top-notch acting. Montgomery Clift, playing a very difficult and inevitably restrained role, designs a lot of his performance around expressions and gestures. I loved watching him in this film, and I think his work in it is commendable. The always-reliable Karl Malden turns in a solid supporting performance as well.

Read all 12 featured audience ratings