Confidence

Definitely one of the best con-artist movies ever. Throughout the movie, I kept thinking of the many possible twists possible, but I never really saw the final big twist - and thought it could all come together so nicely and believable. The movie is paced smoothly (there are no tedious scenes or moments you feel you've missed something), the acting is excellent (Hoffman's character seems overdone at first, but the creepy-weird character he plays is believable and, therefore, all the more serious and scary), the cons they play are very smart (and convincing), and the way it all comes together at the end is just beautiful (although the overall scheme is complex and plays many twists on the audience, it is not at all difficult to follow what 'really' happens). All in all, a very enjoyable movie, with genuine suspense, characters we get to like (and even care about - to the amount possible for grifters), excellent acting and a worthy end. 7/10 (good movie - not great, but above the average)

Foley's 'Confidence' is very much a formulaic gangster con-thriller with the usual gang, the villain, the feminine touch, the weapons and money and the twists. But it still manages to remain engaging and entertaining. It's a small film but the resources have been adequately used and it is very well executed with style and substance. The cinematography and visuals are wild and the score is energetic.

The story's pretty tight and moves at a steady pace. The characters are richly defined. The dialogues are sharp, witty and funny. Edward Burns's voice-over adds to the humour. Doug Jung does a splendid job indeed in the writing department.

Performances by all the actors is great. Edward Burns is brilliant as the superstitious con artist Jake. His fellow team-members Brian Van Holt and Paul Giamatti are equally good. Rachel Weisz oozes sensuality (but thankfully doesn't go overboard with it) and acts very well. Andy Garcia is adequate and Dustin Hoffman is a natural (this guy will make one laugh out loud).

'Confidence' is a slick stylish thriller that doesn't pretend to be anything else, when compared to other weaker movies like 'The Heist', 'Ocean's 11' or 'The Score'. It follows the formula of the genre but it's a smart film and has its twists that are enough to grip your attention.

'Confidence' is an empty exercise in style. Based on a crooks scheme story filmed with some skill, and acted pretty decently by a good cast, it soon falls in routine and looks like a useless effort. The film is too technical and never succeeds to make us care about the characters or to entangle us in the grip of the plot. Even the final twist in the story comes too late - they lost us already, and good chances are that the spectator went out of the theater, or took the DVD out of the player already. 6/10 on my personal scale. Can be avoided.

Hmmm... I watched it and it sounded a lot like the Sting. And then I watched the documentary that came with the DVD and the screenwriter said that he watched "The Sting" and then wrote this movie.

He basically copied "The Sting." Just that he took out the characters and the ambiance. He added a wasted voice-over.

I think I can imagine the thought process behind this movie: Let's take "the Sting" and give it a noir edge to it. Then we'll update it to modern day LA (even though the screenwriter wanted a cliché-ridden NYC) and we'll include a whole lot of quick cuts and fancy colours because that's what the MTV generation likes these days.

Watch "The Sting" instead. It's much better.

There's this rule in Hollywood that may be unwritten but is nonetheless ironclad: stick to the formula. The hero can't die in a romantic comedy. The drama can't be too funny, and the comedy can't be too sad. Action flicks can't be too deep, and "serious" movies have to be somewhat boring.

On the rare occasions when some movie comes along that breaks these rules, we usually get cinematic excellence. But with Confidence, don't be expecting any deviation from the format. Confidence is a fun, enjoyable, light caper movie. It doesn't pretend to be anything else. And for what it is, it's not half bad.

Edward Burns plays a con man, Jake Vig. Together with his crew of seasoned, confident fellow con men, he scams people out of money. Lots of money. And of course, sooner or later he's bound to pick the wrong person to scam. In this case it's a seemingly innocuous accountant who just happens to work for a mob kingpin, cheesily called "the King" (but played brilliantly by Dustin Hoffman). In a tight spot, Jake agrees to do a con and split the proceeds with the King, to get him off his back. What follows is the usual series of crosses, double-crosses, and triple-crosses while everyone tries to figure out who to trust and who's about to screw who over.

When I say that Confidence follows the rules, I mean it. Crime capers must have wise-talking characters. This does. Crime capers must be stylish. This is. Crime capers must have the token female, whose role is to be sexy but not too sexy. Rachel Weisz fills the part here, and does a decent job at it. (Other such token women included Julia Roberts in Ocean's Eleven, and Angela Bassett in The Score). Crime capers must make the audience scratch their heads trying to piece it all together, but must not make them think about any deeper moral issues of right and wrong. Again, Confidence lives up to that deal on both counts.

Still, it was fun escapist entertainment. And, without giving away too much of the ending, let's just say that I'm always impressed with a movie that manages to surprise me. That alone makes it worth seeing.