Confidence

'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.

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.

Twists and turns, that's what makes a story, whether it's a book or a film. Since Hitchcock's superb thrillers, I like to think that I've seen most if not all movies of the genre, yet this one really surprised me that much I had to see it again right away. The plot is very original, but the sometimes staccato dialogs and use of high speed American slang language is sometimes difficult to understand for a non-American.

Nevertheless I enjoyed watching Jake Vig(Edward Burns)very much, his coolness reminds me of James Stewart and the catch of the film reminded me a little bit of Swordfish-Travolta's latest and one of his best movies ever. Dustin Hoffman's character is very convincing as an independent gangster whose money-collector gets involved in a scam and looses $150.000,- to a group of four slick hustlers.

It's this team, which members are so diverse yet fit together so perfectly that it makes me want to see another film starring the same con men, director Mr. James Foley, please give us a sequel............

Dustin Hoffman isn't charming or caring or understanding in "Confidence." Here he's not just evil, he teeters on the brink of uncontrollable madness - but with a dollop of humor that makes his violent nature more interesting (but not appealing). He is a creep!

"Confidence" is the latest in the unending string of films about men and women scam artists always scheming for that truly earthshaking big score. (There must always be an enticing, enigmatic woman for a film of this kind to keep viewers engrossed, e.g., "The Thomas Crown Affair".) And the crooks usually have soft spots in their hearts and a propensity to make silly - even deadly - errors. And at least one member of the group, usually the leader, has to look good in a well-tailored suit.

That's the situation here as Edward Burns plays the honcho of a small band of swindlers who really seem to have bonded together. They trust each other - but no one else. But, of course, they must deal with new "co-workers" whose motivations and alliances are suspect but hardly clear. And we also have a pair of the LAPD's Not Finest adding a humorous dimension not often found in tough rogue cops on the take.

And then there's Rachel Weisz - I've been a fan of her acting since "About a Boy" and "Enemy at the Gates." Certainly she's an emerging star and it's her acting ability plus her beauty that's taking her to leading roles. An English actress, she joins Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman - Down Under natives - in flawlessly speaking like a Yank (or a SOCAL denizen, not quite the same thing).

Don't look for a true mystery here. This isn't David Mamet's "The Spanish Prisoner." But it is a four-star show by a fine ensemble cast.

7/10.

A mediocre script that is saved by the performances of its actors. Ed Burns does pretty good job as the lead in this film and Dustin Hoffman whose brief appearance here shows how a true legend works. Rachel Weisz makes this film a lot of fun with her performance as a sexy female con, and Andy Garcia continues to make himself into one of the great character actors of our generation. The big problem this movie has is its script, and the plot holes and continuity problems that come with it. You can tell that the story really was not though out well, and you can see the rewrites in some of the scenes in the film. Maybe if the script were more though out, we would have had a better movie than we have here right now.