Confessions of a Dangerous Mind- George Clooney (2003)

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind- George Clooney (2003)

With people like Sam Rockwell is not a surprise to me that people like Jim Carrey may never get an Oscar, with the exception of Man On the Moon, Rockwell has gathered all of those serious-genius-mad man roles that really deserve acute observation, as Rockwell is without a doubt an intense man, and someone with such high dose of charisma, that he can carry away with some of the most vile characters and end up as a winner.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind came to me as a surprising movie cleverly created and with a story that really deserved to be watched with full interest, it tales the tale about Chuck Barris, a man with an awful adolescence, that might have led him towards serial killing, well, in a way it did, but before that, Barris became a composer of pop tunes, the creative mind behind cheap but popular TV contest and finally as the presenter of some of them, in the meantime, Barris got accused of producing decadent TV, and took a job a killer with the CIA, did I tell you that this movie is an autobiography of a real man? Yes Chuck existed, but I don’t know if he was a real killer or if it was all made up by him, perhaps we will never know it; it’s part of Barris mythology, and in the hands of screenwriter extraordinaire Charlie Kaufman is the perfect excuse for a GREAT story.

None other than George Clooney debuts as a director in this movie; he also carries a not so small role, but the man really shines behind the cameras, presenting a challenging movie, built with a very intelligent structure, nothing is given for free, you have to think, at least a little in order to carry one with this pic, and you have to thank Mr. Rockwell for portraying again a man really damaged and dangerous in such an entreating and at the same time despicable man.

Barris starts off as a loser in his teen years, he decides to be a part of the nascent TV industry, and he succeeds, he decides to become the creator of TV shows involving dumb contests, which end up becoming successful, he becomes a star and in the middle of this gets contacted by the CIA, which uses him to carry on several assassinations while using the program as his back up.

Kaufman succeeds again juxtaposing reality and fantasy in a gorgeous way; the lines between reality and daydreaming get blurred just like he did in Being John Malkovich or in Adaptation, again, this time, he creates his own universe, which like in a tale of Gogol has its own logic, one difficult to understand or accept, but in a way its ends devouring us.

Clooney might not be an easy going director, he makes no concessions to the public, as the movie becomes demanding, very well done for a man who might be dismissed as a pretty face without talent, well, think twice, the man is amazing behind the camera, and his star status makes it easier for him to gather an amazing group of actors, like the GREAT Rutger Hauer, Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore and delirious cameos by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, not bad for a little subversive movie not destined for mass consumption, but one that shows a man with a pathetic vision of himself that we end up realizing it’s not as pathetic as Barris might thought, Rockwell gives perfect life to Barris and we come to the assumption that Barris life was even more amazing behind the cameras (just like Clooney`s), that what he presented on the TV Screen, a big triumph for Clooney, without a doubt a man enamored with cinema and with storytelling, so much that his movies vibrate and breath in an amazing way, with such an amazing outrageous protagonist and a completely innovative screen writer screwing with our brains in a totally adorable way, in one of those movies that we just wish more people had seen it.