Out of all the movies Hitchcock directed throughout his life, I Confess has to be one of the most overlooked, and there is definitely a reason for this. I didn't think it was as impressive as some of his other movies like Rear Window or Saboteur, but it's difficult to explain why it is not as memorable. The film stars Montgomery Clift as Father Logan, a priest working in the French Canadian province of Quebec. He is approached by a man named Keller one day who is confessing about how he killed a lawyer named Villette and then fled the scene. Even though Logan now has information that can potentially lead to this person's arrest, he is forbidden from saying anything because catholic priests aren't allowed to let other people know what someone's confession consists of. Some time later, the man responsible for killing Villette tells the cops about the killing, and Logan is questioned by a police investigator named Larrue (Karl Malden). Larrue brings in more interview subjects and two schoolgirls are interrogated in his office, but this doesn't help him solve the case, at least not directly. One of them says how she witnessed Logan near where Villette lived, and Larrue must now interview him. However, Logan is forbidden from disclosing any personal information about what Keller said to him. Because he refuses to talk, Larrue now has no choice but to consider Logan a potential enemy, and tells investigators to keep an eye on him. Meanwhile, Ruth (Anne Baxter), a friend of Logan's, tries to tell Logan he is being shadowed by cops, but he doesn't think much of it. Eventually, Larrue interrogates both her and Logan, and Ruth, under intense pressure and nervousness, gives a contradictory account of the events which lead to Villette's death. She says how Villette blackmailed her into helping him with a scandal. Despite being innocent, Logan decides to give himself up in court, but the jury finds him not guilty because there is no evidence against him. After the trial, Logan walks outside where a crowd has gathered, and Keller runs off, revealing himself as the murderer. Larrue, Logan, and some cops set off in pursuit and follow him to a ballroom. Keller, gun in hand, tells Logan to back off as he slowly advances toward him, trying to find a non-violent solution to this argument. A cop shoots Keller and he dies shortly after with Logan holding him. Like I stated before, I Confess is a very little known film by Hitchcock standards. After seeing it, it's not hard to imagine why. I thought it was decent, but absolutely not a worthy successor to most of his earlier movies. There's some plot holes in it that just drive me up the wall, like how Keller suddenly decides to run off at the end, thus blowing his cover. If he just kept quiet, nobody would have questioned him, despite Logan being acquitted. Montgomery Clift and Anne Baxter do a good job with the mostly forgettable script, but it is annoying how Clift is not allowed to tell Karl Malden's character what Keller said to him that day. Speaking of which, Karl is probably the best character in this movie since he goes after pretty much everyone. Logan gets on his bad side by refusing to disclose details about Keller, leading Karl to monitor both men. Malden was a very underrated actor. In addition to this, I Confess took 8 years to fully develop, which is an eternity by Hitchcock standards. His daughter Patricia was married in 1951 and he went on vacation for this. The original draft of the movie also concludes with the priest being executed for having an illegitimate child, but this was scrapped when studio executives realized showing a film where a priest is killed probably wasn't the best idea. Even at the time, the audience reception for this film wasn't too great, and I myself really want to like it because it's by Hitchcock, but his other movies are simply better. I would still recommend this to people who enjoy his movies because it does have an air of mystery and crime about it since it involves a murder. It also features an unlikely hero in the form of a priest. It might be Hitchcock's least best film, but it's still Hitchcock.
Review of I Confess
