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Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) ...
One of the greatest things about this movie is the stylish shots and camera-work that date the scene.
| Released: | 2002 |
| Running Time: | 113 minutes |
| Cast: | Dick Clark
.... Himself Sam Rockwell .... Chuck Barris George Clooney .... Jim Byrd Drew Barrymore .... Penny Julia Roberts .... Patricia Watson |
| Writers: | Chuck Barris
(book) Charlie Kaufman (screenplay) |
| Director: | George Clooney |
| My Rating | **1/2 |
George Clooney's directorial debut. Rings a bell? If not, these words will enlighten you.
"Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" is a fascinating dramatic picture of Chuck Barris, host of "The Gong Show", who claims that at the height of his career he was leading a double life as a CIA hit man. It is based on Barris' humorous autobiography from 1982 which was adapted for the big screen by Charlie Kaufman (who also wrote for "Being John Malkovich"). Essentially, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" describes how Barris was assassinating America's Cold War enemies during the time he was supposedly escorting his show's winning contestants to exotic places.
The movie features Clooney playing the role of a CIA agent, and Julia Roberts and Drew Barrymore as leading ladies. But the real reason for which you should see it is because Clooney chose an actor you may not yet have heard of to portray Chuck Barris - Sam Rockwell. This not-well-known actor (you may have seen him in "The Green Mile" or "Charlie's Angels" though) manages to bring out the inner demons of Barris perfectly. His performance is characterized by duality, as Rockwell diligently balances between the TV host's geeky looks and his natural charm.
The story begins when Chuck Barris realizes his future is in television, thus trying to find ideas for some new shows which will elevate him up from the position of tour guide. After some years of struggle, Barris manages to enter the TV realm in the '60s. Among others, his game-show ideas ("The Dating Game", "The Gong Show") offer the character sexual opportunities he's long dreamed of (a reason for which consider the movie to be sexually focused).
When one of his shows isn't picked up from the
pilot, the CIA agent Jim Byrd (Clooney) approaches Barris and hires him to
become a contract killer. When his show gets finally picked up and broadcast by
the network, "The Datin
g Game"
becomes the perfect cover for his killings. On missions, the character comes in
contact with Patricia, a mysterious femme fatale.
Julia Roberts plays the part of Patricia, the fellow CIA operative who hunts Barris' secret life and Drew Barrymore embodies Penny, the other woman in his life, the girlfriend in his public appearances.
One of the greatest things about this movie is the stylish shots and camera-work that date the scene. George Clooney certainly did a good job in recreating the age of whence the story comes. It's nice to discover such an interesting mixture of great old bloopers and actual footage.
Many may find the movie hard to decipher and the story difficult to follow, because Clooney uses the stream of consciousness technique to portray the events in Barris' life. At some point we don't know whether the things are happening in real life or they are just figments of the character's imagination. And yet, we are talking about one's mind!
You won't find answers in this movie. You won't find out whether Barris is a liar or not. In fact, the film presents more questions to the viewer than answers. It's an interesting way to make the audience think for itself and build the events in its own mind, but overall this isn't one of my favorites.
