The Confession

After the culmination of '24', eyes across the globe were eagerly following Keifer 'Bauer' Sutherland and anticipating his next move. Little did we know it would be starring alongside film legend John Hurt in a gritty web series. Keifer plays The Confessor; a hit-man attempting to understand the root of evil through means of confession. Unrepentant, he debates theology and the source of evil with a priest (Hurt) who is forced to unravel the truth behind his confessor.

Before diving head-first into the show itself, I want to talk about the show's format. Split into short (6 min approx) chapters, this is not your typical TV series. However, the chapters seamlessly flow and the overall experience is fairly reminiscent of reading a short story or novella.

The length (or lack of) of the chapters would perhaps leave many viewers feeling a little short changed. After all - we were so used to having Bauer grace our screen for 24 continuous hours defusing bombs and torturing terrorists. But from the first second of The Confession, the tension immediately hits you whilst the shows dramatic undertones create an uneasy atmosphere. Regular flashbacks to the confessor's dark past fill any voids left by the inhibiting confession booth. These also provide well acted and well written sub-plots; further unravelling the mysteries of this troubled man.

I quite enjoyed the three episodes so far and a pedestal has definitely been set. The acting by keifer, Hurt and all ancillary characters is excellent and both the directing and writing is of notable quality (if slightly clichéd at times). That said, there is definite scope for a larger series. I fear that the potential in the current format will never quite reach the same heights as it would in a 40 minute format. But maybe i'm getting ahead of myself. It is only episode three after all. Overall, this is a great vehicle for Keifer and fans of 24 will find watching The Confession incredibly enjoyable. With it's grit, tense drama and an original concept, you'll almost forget about Bauer. Almost.

There is something I cannot understand;it is really beyond me;how can a movie so highly rated,a rating it thoroughly deserves , be totally overlooked by the users,as far as comments are concerned ?after watching it,I was expecting at least one hundred of them!Much to my surprise,I'm the first one to write about it.

This very short work (70 min ,but no filling!),bitter and utterly uncompromising ,will perhaps be more appreciated if you were brought up a catholic ,but every viewer looking for "something different" will be rewarded.

The action takes place in a confessional ,where a man who's just killed someone -and is about to repeat this crime this very night- wants a priest to give him absolution.

There are many flashbacks ,and little by little ,we understand the sinner can show compassion ,pity ,and that it is not a black and white world,but surely a gray one.We guess the unexpected final twist halfway through the movie,but the interest does not suffer for it .

The movie deals with religious concepts such as free will ,the relativity of what's good and what's evil and the existence of God himself is called into question;it could also be seen as a metaphoric meeting with the Devil ,but it's up to you to decide,all in all, who the real satanic being is.

There're only two actors (the others are supporting for a very short time)but they are merely prodigious :Kiefer Sutherland portrays an ambiguous character,a killer who sometimes resembles a black Robin Hood (the extraordinary and totally unexpected scene of the computer),and who,from the start,got a raw deal ;Matching him every step of the way is aging John Hurt's tormented priest who believed he could redeem himself and escape from a horrible past .

Even with violence kept to the minimum ,this is a pessimistic terrifying movie,which leaves no hope to the viewer .It might shock true believers ,the words do not cut ,they bite;but they inspire the vital extremism of the confrontation.

70 min of your time;it's not much and you won't forget "the confession"

I will not give away spoilers. I just watched Chapter 8 and it was gut-wrenching! John Hurt's performance in this chapter just shows why he truly is one of the great actors of the last 40 years. When Hurt (as the Priest) confesses his sins from a past life, you truly feel his pain. Your stomach will twist into knots and you will want to cry with him. If this was a movie instead of a web-series, he would easily win an Academy Award. Sutherland's performance is top notch. The character is a level or two deeper than Jack Bauer, and although he is an assassin, we feel his pain and we want him to win his fight.

This web-series is the best show that is currently on the Planet earth right now, whether it's TV, movies, internet, whatever.....nuff said!

If you search for 'The Confession (2011)' on here you will find that there is actually two hits for that, and both with the same poster and actors, director etc.

The difference is one is listed as a TV-series and one as a movie.

So what differs the 2? Well, not that much in fact nothing from what I've gathered you see 'The Confession (2011)' was originally a 10 part web-series with each episode being 6 minutes long and this movie is merely all 10 parts put together.

Now the good news is that the flow between the parts is pretty effortless, in fact I was a bit surprised when it turned out to be the case (regarding the movie being a 10 part series).

So yeah it works fine as a 1 hour long movie.

The only reason I gave it a 5 (I was debating whether or not it was worth a 6 or not) is because there were moments where I lost interest a little bit and the (meant to be) powerful ending wasn't all that gripping to me.

That said the acting is fine (although tbh at times it felt like Kiefer Sutherland was playing Jack Bauer and not a completely different character), it's mainly a character-study drama of a hit-man but it has some moments of suspense as well, some flashbacks and stuff.

So nothing amazing but if you're a huge fan of Kiefer Sutherland and John Hurt I'd say it could be worth a look.

Why was this film overlooked? I had thought everyone in Hollywood was asleep until I learnt that the film had originally been released as a webisode series and then went straight to DVD. What a shame!

This is one of the most powerful films I've watched in decades. It provokes, it challenges, it stirs the emotions -- and 95% of the film is held together with dialogue by two men sitting in a confessional. I watched it twice in one day. The script - the acting - the way the plot is developed - they are flawless, in my opinion, and worthy of any award.

Kiefer Sutherland is perfectly cast as the assassin - reaching out for answers. And it's hard not to empathise with him, once you learn of his background and his obvious pain. John Hurt is brilliantly cast as the embattled priest. He has that weather-beaten face that tells a thousand stories.

Another thing that puzzles me is why the two lead stars of this movie are not given top billing credit - which went to 3 bit- part roles? Something's crook in Tobruk, as they say in my country!!

Much credit to all the actors - this is a film I cannot fault, and writer-director Brad Mirman is one name I'll be following with interest in future.