| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Robert De Niro | ... |
Father Des Spellacy
(as Robert DeNiro)
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| Robert Duvall | ... | ||
| Charles Durning | ... |
Jack Amsterdam
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| Kenneth McMillan | ... |
Frank Crotty
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| Ed Flanders | ... |
Dan T. Campion
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| Cyril Cusack | ... |
Cardinal Danaher
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| Burgess Meredith | ... |
Msgr. Seamus Fargo
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Rose Gregorio | ... |
Brenda Samuels
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| Dan Hedaya | ... | ||
| Gwen Van Dam | ... |
Mrs. Fazenda
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Thomas Hill | ... |
Mr. Fazenda
(as Tom Hill)
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| Jeanette Nolan | ... |
Mrs. Spellacy
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Jorge Cervera Jr. | ... |
Eduardo Duarte
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Susan Myers | ... |
Bride
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| Louisa Moritz | ... |
Whore
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De Niro (a Catholic Priest) and Duvall (a Homicide Detective) play brothers drawn together after many years apart, in the aftermath of the brutal murder of a young prostitute. Written by Grant Hamilton <[email protected]>
TRUE CONFESSIONS is one of the best movies ever made. Its virtues include the remarkable array of character actors, each giving of his best under the amazingly subtle direction of Ulu Grosbard. The novel provided an excellent springboard for the script the author wrote with his wife. Re-reading it, I found the scenes that had to be excluded from the movie for reasons of length, etc., were visualized and heard in my mind with the actors' personalities, idiosyncrasies, and inflections. This was particularly true of Cyril Cusack, Burgess Meredith, Ed Flanders, Charles Durning and the two principals. I can watch this film over and over, each time discovering new felicities as well as new depths of emotion. I am not a Catholic, a detective, or an American, but I must confess I had an older brother and our relationship undoubtedly added to my appreciation of this masterpiece.