The true story of Chuck Barris, a game show creator who may
​or may not have been moonlighting as a hitman for the CIA.

​BIOPIC/COMEDY

Confessions of a
​​Dangerous Mind (2002)

Directed by George Clooney

Written by Charlie Kaufman

Starring Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, ​George Clooney,
​Julia Roberts, Rutger Hauer

Based on the book by Chuck Barris

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Connor Eyzaguirre

March 22, 2017

8/10

If one iota of this film is true, it's by far the craziest story I've ever heard. It's no secret that Chuck Barris was a few cards short of a full deck, but a CIA contract killer? This film is wildly entertaining and shows the rise and fall of one of 70's television's most bizarre icons. He gave birth to such trashy classics as The Dating Game and The Gong Show, and in his memoir he claimed to have assassinated 33 people as a secret hitman for the CIA. I give you Chuck Barris and his larger-than-life biopic Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.

Sam Rockwell seems born to play this part. He's made a name for himself as a character actor working alongside ensembles, so it was neat to finally see him take the lead in a project that would've been half as good without him. Rockwell becomes Barris, delivering a cult performance for the ages that will rank among his best. Alongside him are Drew Barrymore, who plays his super chill girlfriend Penny, George Clooney, who plays his CIA contact Jim Byrd and directs with a talented eye, Julia Roberts, who plays a fellow assassin with a wild streak, and Rutger Hauer, who plays another assassin hoping to end it all. The performances are stellar, and while the script is intriguing and crazy, it does leave a lot out of the story I wanted to know about. I would've wanted to see more of how Chuck became a game show king, something that's fairly glossed over in the film in favor of his time as a killer.

The truth is nobody but Barris can confirm whether any of what he said was true. I guess it's good that way, though. It keeps Chuck Barris as the cult icon he was and permanently connects this crazy story to his celebrity legend. There's some shoddy storytelling in the end, but Rockwell's performance and Clooney's expert direction won me over. I enjoyed this film and will forever wonder whether Barris was completely nuts or if the CIA once needed the host of The Gong Show to do their dirty work.