MovieFreak.com - "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" DVD Review by John Teves

DVD REVIEW

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)

Starring: Drew Barrymore, Sam Rockwell, et al.

Director: George Clooney

Rating: R

Distributor: Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Release Date: September 9, 2003
Review posted: September 6, 2003

Spoilers: None

Reviewed by John Teves

Synopsis

Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) has it all -- a hot TV hit, "The Gong Show," and the love of a good woman (Drew Barrymore). But he's got one big secret: He's a CIA assassin who kills while purportedly escorting his game show winners on their vacation prizes. George Clooney directs and co-stars with Julia Roberts in this film based on the book of the same name, authored by the real-life Barris.

Capsule Critique

CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND is a surprise. It leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth. Throughout the film you belief 50 percent this movie is based on a self-unauthorized autobiography (believe that??). The story itself and how it develops lures you into the life of Chuck Barris. While watching the film you are wondering if it is all true or not. There were certain aspects of the film that led me to believe Barris was in fact not an agent for the CIA but schizophrenic and delusional. But there is no clear answer. The film does lure you in, but is just a little too long for my liking. It did end pretty quickly, which left me with and "unanswered" kind of feeling.

The Video

CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND appears in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. The picture looked excellent with almost no problems on display. Sharpness seemed very good. One or two wider shots showed some modest softness, but these concerns were minor. As a whole, the movie appeared crisp and well-defined. A little shimmering showed up in some backgrounds scenes, but this was mild, and no jagged edges appeared. Print flaws seemed absent. At no point did I discern any signs of grain, speckles, or scratches. Colors looked bright and vivid throughout the film. The video transfer provided a nice variety of bold and vibrant hues, and the DVD reproduced these well with very accurate and clean tones on display. Black levels seemed nicely deep and rich, and shadow detail usually came across heavy but not excessively thick. As a whole, the DVD presented a simply terrific picture.

The Audio

CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1. As one might expect of this sort of genre, the soundfield usually stuck pretty close to the front spectrum. Across the forward speakers, the audio presented a solid image that created a decent environment. Music offered a good stereo presence, and effects were appropriate and well contained. The surrounds were mostly in general reinforcement mode, with most of the rear activity functioning mainly to back-up the forward spectrum. Audio quality seemed to be consistently strong. Dialogue appeared warm and natural, and it displayed no edginess. Effects were crisp and realistic, and they showed nice clarity without any distortion. Music appeared clean and smooth, and it occasionally offered some solid low end sounds. Effects also showed good depth and dynamics, and the entire track possessed quite satisfactory range and quality. As a whole, the Dolby Digital track complemented the material and worked well.

The Extras

Audio Commentary with Director George Clooney and Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel
Deleted Scenes with commentary
Six Behind the Scene Vignettes
Sam Rockwell Screen Test
"Gong Show" Acts
The Real Chuck Barris Documentary
Still Gallery

Overall

The DVD provides strong picture and sound, plus some nice extras. Ultimately, if you like films about people's lives - real people and not the made up ones – you should watch this film. For everyone else, this is a rental on a rainy night when there is nothing else in the video store.

John Teves rates the film 3 out of 4.

Review originally appeared on DVDFreak.net

VERDICT: RECOMMENDED/RENT IT

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