Confidence Review

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home > arts&culture > Confidence Review

January 5, 2004 10:13 AM
by [email]

Movie: Confidence
Director: James Foley
Released: Now

Confidence could be seen as a film for guys, at least that’s really what you come away thinking.

It’s a clever, slick fast paced movie that’s a slice of modern LA with some fifties glamour and film noir.

The film centers on Jake Vig (played by Edward Burns), a sharp and polished grifter.

Jake has just swindled thousands of dollars from the unsuspecting Lionel Dolby with the help of his crew.

But when some of them turn up dead, it becomes clear that Lionel wasn’t just any mark.

In fact as Jake soon learns, he was an accountant for eccentric crime boss The King (played by Dustin Hoffman).

Jake offers to repay “The King” by pulling off the biggest con of his career. The mark? Morgan Price, a banker with deep ties to organized crime.

With so much riding on the outcome, Jake decides to bring in a pickpocket named Lily (Rachel Weisz), who joins the crew in a complex scheme involving corporate loans, creative accounting, wire transfers and off-shore accounts.

There are some cracking performances here. Dustin Hoffman is outstanding in his role as eccentric crime boss The King, and seems to control every scene he is in. He is flamboyant, effervescent and even slightly over the top but fascinating to watch.

Ed Burns is also great in the lead role, with his portrayal of Jake Vig. His role by is both strong, and subtle and his character is intriguing, playing all the angles without giving away much.

Rachel Weisz played her role as gangsters moll / love interest really well. But I couldn’t help feeling hers was a role that could have used a bit more character development.

But then again screenwriter Doug Jung only lets us see enough of his characters to maintain his story arc, so that when we reach the end of the movie we walk a way with a certain sense of surprise and get to use our brains a little.

A few other notable performances for me were Andy Garcia and Franky G as ‘Lupus’ who I first saw in the excellent indie film ‘Manito’.

Confidence is worth a look especially if you like intricate movies witha gangster / film noir feel.