Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
2002
**½
Director: George Clooney
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Rutger Hauer, Jerry Weintraub, Robert John Burke, Michael Ensign, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Urbaniak

Chuck Barris was a host, creator, and producer, who had several popular game shows in the 1960s and 1970s. In his 1984 autobiography, Barris claimed that through all those years he moonlighted as a CIA assassin. This biographical comedy never takes off. It is unclear if that's because George Clooney is a first-time director, because Charlie Kaufman's script is his most conventional one to date, or because Barris' life story is a whole lot of implausible nonsense. Clooney and his cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel use different camera techniques for different time periods, which results in a mishmash of visual styles. Nevertheless, Sam Rockwell gives a lively and energetic performance in one his first leading roles. Drew Barrymore plays his on/off love interest, but her character doesn't make any impression whatsoever.