What The Confession is all about without spoiling the show
A married woman, Patricia Hall, has gone missing in Yorkshire, England. Who do you think the prime suspect is? In The Confession, many clues point toward the husband, Keith Hall, who at times comes across as a little cocky and arrogant with the police and on television through interviews. He’s also very tight-lipped. Without his wife in the picture, he is starting to get lonely.
Through a lonely hearts advertisement in the newspaper, he connects with a woman whose objective isn’t love. She’s working for the police and looking to get a confession.
Did you know The Confession story before watching?
This was all brand new to me. Outside of English serial killers, not much makes it across the pond. I have seen other cases similar to this where the thought of entrapment comes up in the trial. I think laws in the United States are a little more careful. This isn’t a “Mr. Big” situation like we see in Canada sometimes yet very similar. It’s more of a Honey Trap.
Will The Confession make people feel uncomfortable?
The Confession is a missing person’s case with no body. Although rumors and some innuendo point toward a husband killing his wife, outside of those brief possibly-made-up moments this isn’t a brutal true crime documentary. You’ll be fine.
What was good about The Confession?
The plot was definitely an intriguing one. I took a chance on this simply because it was the first one I came across one day while looking for a new documentary. Unfamiliar with what to expect or even how many episodes it was, I was able to get into it pretty well.
The Confession has a dark tone throughout which I’m noticing many documentaries coming out of England do. There aren’t any goofy characters. We get to see Keith Hall a lot on camera and he isn’t memorable like many other suspects in other documentaries. Where Robert Durst only hurt himself on camera in The Jinx, Hall is kind of flat at this point in his life.
A lot of authentic audio was used, at least I think it was from the actual case. Either way, it did help the story flow. In moments where my attention would be hard to hold onto, those audio recordings pulled me back in. They wisely talked about the actual confession much earlier than they revealed it to the viewer. I was annoyed at first. Later on I thought it was brilliant with the way the pacing went. There was a build up to that moment.
What could have made The Confession better?
My biggest gripe with this one might be my own fault. I thought there were three episodes, but there were only two. When the second ended, I was surprised to see Amazon pitch me a new movie. What did I miss?
The Confession seems to abruptly end. It’s not because the filmmakers did anything wrong. That’s just the story. It’s over.
It did feel like there was more to come. Would there be a surprise witness to the crime? Was Patricia Hall going to come into court and admit she had run away? Something more needed to happen. This can’t be it.
Something was lacking in The Confession for the number of minutes it runs. The scheme to pull a confession out of Keith Hall by making him fall in love with an undercover cop didn’t play a factor until the end of the first episode/beginning of the second. Telling the story out of order might have been a wiser choice. I would have started it with him in the car with the undercover cop and her trying to get him to tell her why his wife wasn’t coming back. Starting this way would have given us an earlier Blitzkreig and pulling me in more.
Is The Confession worth watching?
This documentary is on the edge of answering this question. It’s not memorable. It’s also not bad. It’s pretty short so you’re not wasting your time. I would recommend it for true crime documentary lovers. More casual viewers may find it boring. I didn’t, but you know what, I also blog about these things.
Overall Score: 5 out of 10
I can see a different style for a story like this and it being a much better film. It is unnecessary at this point. The story is too old and it doesn’t seem that much else has happened. Nearly everyone interviewed is a little dull. I grew up on MTV and Surge soda. I can take more excitement.
Interested in watching The Confession or learning more about the case? Below you will find affiliate links to the series as well as other information about this case. By using this links, I may receive a small commission of any purchase you may make.
Watch The Confession on Amazon
If you have a series or film you want to know my opinion on, please leave a comment below. I may have already written about it. I can save you some time from watching a dud.
Practically Trouble 
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