AllMovie

On the surface, Damiano Damiani's Confessions of a Police Captain (aka Confessione di un Commissario di Polizia al Procuratore della Repubblica) is a fairly typical European crime picture from the 1970s, full of dirty dealings and internecine squabbling among both cops and outlaws, but the film has just enough unusual touches to put it a few cuts above the average. While Franco Nero was never one of the most expressive actors of his generation, here his narrow range makes him seem steely and determined as a District Attorney determined to find out the truth behind the murder of a mob chieftain, and Martin Balsam brings some much-needed vigor to his role as the titular police detective who may have stepped outside the law in the name of justice. Balsam and Nero play a compelling game of thrust and parry throughout the film, and if Balsam generally bests his partner in their verbal jousting, Nero is a good straight man and Balsam gets to show a bit more swagger than he was usually allowed on screen. Director Damiani gives the story just enough grit to keep things interesting, and by periodically taking the story into a mental hospital he adds a surreal undertow to the proceedings, especially as Balsam interacts with some of the more eccentric patients. Confessions of a Police Captain is a long way from one of the great crime films of the era -- the second act moves too slow before winding up for a solid finish -- but it just enough style and imagination to make it worth a look for loyal Eurotrash followers.