Confidence Movie Review:

"Confidence" is a new crime-caper film that lives off what another recent heist film "The Good Thief" lacked, energy. By no means is "Confidence" a
perfect film for its genre, but it sure is a lot of fun.

The term ‘confidence’ applies to the sureness of one’s own abilities, which often leads to offensive boastfulness. This is something that
con-man/grifter Jake Vig surely inhabits. As the narrator throughout the film Jake gives continuos tips on how to use one’s confidence to get what you want, in his case he wants money. Jake has been at the center of a con in many different types of situations for years and is always assisted by his
crew, which is comprised of the wise-cracking Gordo (Giamatti), the stripper loving Miles (Van Holt), and the not-too-bright Al. With two corrupt cops, Omar (Guzman) and Lloyd (Logue), as counterpoints, Jake and his crew pull off
a successful $150,000 con of a Los Angeles accountant. Unfortunately, the money belonged to a uniquely powerful crime boss named The King (Hoffman).

After meeting with the expressive King, he and Jake come to a compromise that Jake and his crew will do another con to pay back The King as well as giving him a nice share of the final cut. The pay-off total is five million dollars and The King accepts the offer, but sends one of his henchmen named Lupus to join Jake’s crew. Then the sexy pick-pocketing Lily comes aboard as the crew’s final piece in their plan. Many twists and problems then occur,
including the arrival of special agent Gunther Butan (Garcia), who has been chasing Jake and his crew for years. The crew takes into account the
pressures and risks of their plan, but they must remain cool, trust one another and more than anything keep their confidence.

Doug Jung’s script for "Confidence" seems to be the birth child of Soderbergh’s "Oceans 11" with a splash of Quentin Tarantino’s tone to it. The film opens with a beaten and bruised Jake having a gun to his head as he tells the story in a flashback. This works at first, but gets old quick with the henchman (Chestnut) holding the gun constantly asking, "What happened next?" The dialogue is full or humor and vulgarity, which is very suitable
for a film of this nature. The twists in the script are strong and very well played out. Also, the characters are a joy to watch interact, especially the scenes between Jake and The King.

Director James Foley keeps he film moving at a consistent speed. Foley’s editing choice of continuos wipes as transitions to scenes also lets you jump right into the character’s conversations. The director’s choices are stylish and the overall texture of the film is colorful and manipulative.

Dustin Hoffman is great in this film as the crime boss The King. It is evident that Hoffman had a lot of fun with the character that is humorous but
also sinisterly dark. He smacks gum, gets foot massages, constantly calls Jake "scooter" or "tiger", and delivers an enjoyable performance. Edward Burns is a perfect cast as Jake Vig. He is cocky, smart, charming, and more than anything confident, which are the qualities that Burns exhibits as an actor. Rachel Weisz keeps emerging as a true star and is once again stunning
as the pick-pocketing Lily. Andy Garcia shows up in the second half of the film as the agent chasing Jake and like the rest of the cast, he has fun
while delivering an effective performance.

"Confidence" is a crime-caper film that is also humorously amusing. The content of the film is nothing that audiences haven’t seen before, but it has energy and fresh characters that make it a fun movie.

Grade: B

Joseph Tucker

Jake (Burns) and his crew had just pulled another prefect con, or so they thought. The lowlife who they had just swindled $150,000 out of worked for Winston King (Hoffman), a self-made gangster who doesn’t take nicely to losing anything, never mind money. Jake decides to make thing square by organising a con that will pay back King with interest and make him and his crew financially secure for life.

Glen Garry Glen Ross director James Foley gathers together another fine ensemble cast and brings you a deception movie with more than enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Told in flashback with a gun to his head, Edward Burns’s Jake is a cool character, even under immense pressure. This is credit to an actor whose career as been very hit and miss. When he appears in his own movies like The Brothers McMullen, She’s the One and Sidewalks of New York, he excels and lives up to the hype he generated with his first feature. But for each one of these there is a Fifteen Minutes or Life or Something Like it. You’ll be glad to hear that Confidence is Burns back on form. He has the right about of charm, coolness and, may I say, confidence to pull of the role successfully. While he might not be as good as Danny Ocean (George Clooney’s character in Ocean’s 11), Burns’s Jake is still a cool grifter that you want to get away clean. The rest of the cast are also very good. Rachel Weisz looks stunning in the movie and plays the femme-fatal superbly. The underrated Paul Giamatti is on top form as the toilet challenged Gordo and Andy Garcia is as good as ever as Jake’s pursuer Agent Gunther Butan. The ever-reliable Louis Guzmán and the slightly underused Robert Forster are also very good.

Dustin Hoffman almost steals the show as gangster Winston King. His over-the-top, spun-out, hyperactive mobster is his best role in years. The interactions between him and Burns make the movie, as the dialogue is superb and expertly acted.

James Foley’s direction is inventive, quick and very visual. Combining fast paced editing, flashbacks and imaginative cuts, the film has a lot of style, which complements the subject matter marvellously. This movie should now get him back on track after no really following on from the potential he showed with Glen Garry Glen Ross in 1992.

Confidence is a very good example of a deception thriller. While only slightly predictable, it twists and turns enough to keep you guessing until the final few frames and the characters are likeable enough for you to want them to get away with it. You won’t feel conned after watching is movie.

Star Rating = * * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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