Confessions Of A Police Captain Movie Review Available April 21 from Radiance Films

Pre-order here

In the past few weeks, I have been able to view this and Cutter's Way, both from Radiance Films, both of which I have not previously seen. What a treat to get to see them in these new & updated copies of the films. Cutter's Way is available in both 4K & Blu-Ray, whereas this will only be in Blu-Ray, the first time in North America.

The film looks great, having been restored in 2K. The audio is scratchy sometimes in parts, but the film is from 1971, so one can expect that.

This is a great little crime thriller, like many films from the 70s, it has a certain aesthetic to it which in itself gives it it's grittyness, that is somewhat missing in today's cinema.

This is my first time seeing Franco Nero & I can see why he has been revered for so many years. He has a great screen presence.  There's a great interview that was conducted just for this release from October of last year with him.

Story

In Palermo, Sicily, seasoned police Captain Bonavia (Martin Balsam, 12 Angry Men) orders the release of a criminally insane inmate – then watches him set out to assassinate a local construction magnate. When the plan backfires, Bonavia faces the scrutiny of young and idealistic district attorney Traini (Franco Nero, Django, The Day of the Owl).

Martin Balsam is perfectly cast in Confessions; however, he would not be their first choice, according to Franco Nero in his interview. When the previous actors wanted changes to the script & other demands, he suggested Mr. Balsam.

A man who is very poker-faced throughout the film, Captain Bonavia keeps everyone guessing who is responsible for the attempted hit. 

When the D.A. is called in, I could see from the start that this is a man who doesn't mince words or hesitate to get the truth from everyone who might know something.

As we know the Captain's involvement in the crime, it makes us more invested in the story overall to find out what his motive was to possibly jeopardize his career as Captain.

Even when he is jailed for murder, his calm demeanor and limited expression do not change, nor does he feel pity for himself either.