I Confess

A church maintenance man dressed in priest's garbs murders a local attorney when he is interrupted during a burglary. Returning to the parish to replace the cloak he happens up the local cleric and decides to confess his crime. Soon, after it is revealed that the deceased was blackmailing the priest and his former lover and a motive is apparent, he becomes the prime suspect in a crime for which he cannot reveal the true culprit due to the sanctity of the confessional. "I Confess" is one of the lesser Alfred Hitchcock efforts although it does contain some finely directed and intense scenes while making great use of Quebec City and its Old World locations. What hurts the film has mostly to do with the strange performance of the usually stellar Montgomery Clift, who opts to make his character into a weak and overly vulnerable character. These acting choices are in too great of a contrast to his character's supposedly resolute nature and hurt the credibility of the part. "I Confess" does not stand with The Master's best work but is still a finely tuned exercise in tension.