Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) struggles with his dual lives as a television producer and CIA assassin.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a delicious black comedy featuring a great performance by Sam Rockwell.

The script by Charlie Kaufman, from Chuck Barris’ autobiography, winks at the audience with a straight face as it tells its improbable story, and director George Clooney’s ability to maintain that tone on the screen is what makes the film.

Clooney crowds the film with small jokes and visual clues, which make repeat viewings a joy, though his decision to intersperse talking-head clips from Barris’ contemporaries is questionable. While they initially help set the film’s deadpan tone, their continued presence adds little value.

Sam Rockwell does the impossible in his role as Chuck Barris, taking what’s essentially an unlikable, self-obsessed, character and making him relentlessly compelling. The script’s brutal honesty regarding Barris’ shortcomings, combined with Rockwell’s intimate, nuanced performance, results in a terrific anti-hero you can laugh at, hate, and care about simultaneously.

Supporting Rockwell are Drew Barrymore and Julia Roberts, representing the loves of Barris’ separate lives. Each delivers an excellent performance, with Roberts in particular giving one of the best of her career as a wonderfully cold operative.

This is one of those films that gets better with each viewing, though some will no doubt go in expecting a more madcap style only to be put off by the film’s straight-faced approach. Yet it’s that very unique approach that makes Confessions of a Dangerous Mind such a satisfying endeavor.