Rob Lowe and James Franco get sharply different marks in two reviews of Confession. The pacing gets no such reprieve: The Hollywood Reporter’s Frank Scheck and Variety’s Joe Leydon both find the Ben Shapiro-scripted prison drama sluggish. Source Source
Directed by Václav Marhoul and distributed by The Daily Wire, the film follows Alexei, a former literature professor played by Lowe, who is arrested in 1938 Moscow and taken to Lubyanka Prison. His interrogator, Vladimir, is his former student, played by Franco. Their exchanges mix Russian literature with pressure to implicate a dissident Orthodox priest. Source Source
In his November 12 review, Leydon credits Lowe and Franco with finding “potent emotional sparks” even in stilted dialogue. He considers their performances credible, but says their efforts aren’t enough to overcome the sluggish storytelling. Source
In his November 10 review, Scheck writes that the leads “give it their all but never manage to be remotely convincing in their roles.” He calls the film a “dull, turgid slog.” No consolation prize for star power there. Source
Scheck finds the film stagebound, describing it as largely confined to an interrogation room and a shared prison cell. Leydon likens the film to a stage adaptation that hasn’t been opened up for the screen and notes fades to black between most sequences. THR lists the runtime at two hours and 12 minutes. Neither critic makes those 132 minutes sound fleet-footed. Source Source
Scheck praises Peter Menzies Jr.’s harsh cinematography and singles out Richard Brake’s supporting performance. Leydon finds some surprises in the story and sees potential for discussion in its ambiguous ending. Source Source
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