Customer Reviews

Confidence [Region 2]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Underseen in theaters due to an underwhelming marketing campaign and the limited draw of Edward Burns, this film is loads of fun and very unpredictable. Dustin Hoffman and Andy Garcia are both the best they've been in years and the last twist blew me away. If you are a fan of The Sting, you'll love this film.

Well - excellent movie, clever plot, clever dialogues, great performances ( Dustin Hoffman (cast against type) is interestingly creepy, Rachel Weisz is pure "bait with brains" and Edward Burns (not really my favourite actor) comes over with a surprisingly great amount of suave confidence... as for the supporting cast - as good as the leads, Andy Garcia takes the cake, though ), moody soundtrack, and - just for once - in this almost "sucked-dry" genre of 'Heist' and 'Sting' movies, an unpredictable ending..... and while it skips over some of the the less interesting details of the sting's setup and planning (like some forgeries etc ), the story stays sound - especially through Burn's comments from off-screen filling in details, attitude and superstitions. It compares very well to "Oceans Eleven" but is less swinging, ironic and hip, much grittier with ugly stains showing through the gloss, and somewhat less certainty about the outcome.

As for the story - a group of conficence men pull off the wrong guy, or rather they con him out of the wrong money. Now, in debt to a local mobster (Hofmann ), they agree to trick an old enemy of said mobster out of several million bucks - and doing this with crooked cops, irritated gangsters and federal agents on their tail. Sounds simple, but like all good sting stories it has a cartload of double-dealing, backstabbing and corrupting gears busily shifting and turning. Rather surprisingly for a contemporary gangster/crime story the violence, while definitely there, is neither overwhelming nor sickeningly self-serving, the camera-work is hands on, and for once the world is at its most dangerous when it looks glossy, stylish and neat.

Of course everyone missed it on the big screen while watching the Hulk, Tomb Raider 2 and Charlies Angles : FT and cussing - go figure.
Just like the perfect con - you don't notice its excellence until it's over. Now wisen up guys and at least get the DVD. No regrets - trust me on this.

Flat headed heist movie that lacks the goods to con itself. Ed Burns does have the chops to pull off his character well, but he comes up short next to his fellow actors, and a very bad script. Dustin Hoffman is great for the very small time that he is in it. And Rachel Weisz outdoes them both with a great performance that the screenplay does not even try to capitalize. Doug Jung's script is really not a script at all but a series of blatantly rip off material from better con films, and a poorly done rip off at that. The DVD itself is better than the movie, and that's because you can see how bad the screenwriter had dropped the ball with this film.

See it for Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Weisz and Ed Burns's performances, but don't expect a coherent plot.

The first thing you will notice when this movie starts is it's independent, low budget feel. The second thing you notice is Ed Burns voice is not suited for voice over narration. It quickly makes you wonder why you came to see this movie and if you just wasted your money.

Confidence can easily be summed up as a cross between Oceans Eleven and The Usual Suspects. Sounds great you say? Well, as good as the movie is, it doesn't quite do what the afore mentioned movies do so well. It's sort of gets caught in the middle. This isn't really a complaint as coming close to either of those two films is an acheivement on it's own.

The film stars Ed Burns as Jake, the leader of a crew of con men (sound familiar?). At some point in the story, he and his fellows con a victim from a sizable amount of money. As it turns out, that money wasn't his. He was transporting it for organized crime racketeer Mr. King (Dustin Hoffman) who has a reputation of doing not-to-nice things to people who upset him. King wants his money back, and instead of running and hiding (like he should have) Jake confronts him and tells him he'll square the deal by doing a con job for him; letting King take a cut equal to what Jake took from him. King insists that the the mark (victim) of the con be a rival of his (a much bigger rival) and that they take on one of King's men to their crew. Along their way, they pick up Rachel Weis and plan the biggest con of their career. Unfortunately, a long time nemesis Treasury Department agent (played by Andy Garcia) wants Jake in a bad way and has just picked up his trail.

What follows is the plot of the film that, like the two films I mentioned earlier, should not be given away. In this post-Usual Suspects/Memento world, the edge of the twists in this film seem a bit dulled. However, the way the film opens up at the end showing you how everything went wrong (reminding your of American Beauty), Confidence grabs you and never lets go inching you closer, compelling you to wonder, "what happened?" "Where did it all go wrong?"

You may not be caught totally off guard at the films end, but you will appreciate the way the film got there, and the intelligence of the script. The film has been called "a poor man's Ocean's Eleven", but that is a good thing in a sense, as this films plot and characters are a lot more grounded in reality making the plot much more believable.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film and plan to add it to my DVD collection when available (I don't buy many films). Lower production values and some directing inadequecies prevented this film from being better, but in all I still easily give this a four-star rating. If you enjoy smart con/heist/caper movies, I highly recommend you check Confidence out.

For a while, most the 90's and early 2000's, twist ending movies lead the way at the local megaplex. While it seems that Bryan Singers' outstanding The Usual Suspects lead this charge, this new "genre" had its own roller coaster ride. The highs ranking up there with movies like The Sixth Sense to the lows with anything else done by M. Night Shyamalan. While Sense was a jaw dropper the first time around, the movie looses its appeal after repeat viewings and falls into a category of a good ghost movie. Today's film, Confidence is a film that follows the same story structure as Suspects, but falters in its story telling and ability to be original.

Confidence opens with the soon to be dead Jake Vig (Edward Burns) having to explain to his executioner why he got himself into this predicament. Jake is a grifter, a good one that has unknowingly stolen thousands from Winston King (Dustin Hoffman) in a grift and, in the aftermath, lost a partner to King's enforcers. Jake sets up a meeting with King in order to set the air clear and promise to pay back the money stolen from the King by doing a grift for him against a person of Kings choosing. King, of course, picks the one person you wouldn't want to grift, an international banker with mob ties. Jake and his crew go about setting up an elaborate scheme to steal millions from the banker, pay off King, and get away with a profit. Of course things go south, people turn on each other and we end up back at the beginning of the film watching the last seconds of Jake Vig's life tick away before our eyes.

One of the biggest weaknesses of the film is Edward Burns voice over work. He states the obvious to many times and really reveals too much and ruins certain scenes. His work on camera is good, ala a blue collar George Clooney in the Ocean's Trilogy. Dustin Hoffman, having joined Jack Nicholson in the "over-the-top villain" club, is a blast to watch. His character oozes a strange evil/kookie vibe that is one of the few original things in the film. Paul Giamatti steals his scenes by out-acting everyone in the scene and Rachel Wiesz does what she does best: being easy on the eyes.

While the movie does not break new ground, it provides an entertaining premise that never really slows down. It keeps up a steady pace with many cut away shots and up tempo music. The scripting is really what bogs down the movie in the end with choosing to show certain parts of the con while leaving others to be played out. It would have been a lot better of the film if they could of worked out some of Jake's voice over into actual scenes in the film, but instead we are subjected to being told what's happening instead of figuring it out for ourselves.

Confidence is a good film for a one or two time showing, after that, the twist become dull and the action very flat. Unlike Suspects, which keeps bringing you coming back with Kevin Spacey's role and the strong musical score, Confidence has a hard time trying to stay original. Think of it as a greatest hits album of con films with too many "B side" tracks worked into the album that make you skip around without going straight through; you have fun, but you won't be satisfied.

Speaking as a lady who loves " heist " and " con man " films, this is now on the top of my list. I've passed this DVD up tons of times in stores but tonight I saw the film on Cinemax and instantly fell in love with it. It has all the elements needed for a good thief/con man movie: the handsome, cocky con man, the beautiful sidekick, corny criminals, funny crooked cops, and a talented veteran actor like Dustin Hoffman. Though Hoffman's part is more like a cameo, he makes his mark and sets the tone for the entire movie. I am not going to go into long details since other reviewers were kind enough to give more information.

Just know that I fully recommend this movie! If you like films like Heat, City of Industry, The Heist, Safe Men and The Score, well Confidence is something you cannot pass up. I'm buying the DVD and you definitely should too.

Caper movies have been well served in the 90's and to some extent into the noughties. Movies like Ocean's Eleven, The Grifters, Heist and many others, have raised the bar for the con artist on the silver screen. `Confidence' aims high, and just scrapes over the bar, but without much room to spare.
The plot - well, it would spoil it to tell.. but even if I wanted to it would be difficult, as maze-like as it is. Suffice to say, when a con turns out to have inadvertently trodden on a ganglord's toes (Dustin Hoffman), the con-artist (Ed Burns) agrees to pull a huge job to get the money back and keep everyone happy... but who can anyone trust, and what is as it seems?
Great performances abound - the talent on display here is formidable through to the most minor of characters. However, for the most part these fantastic character actors are being called on to play parts which are by their definition artificial. It all works well for the plot, but the sheer cleverness of the whole thing does pull you out of the experience and constantly remind you that this is not real, just a movie.
Having said that, the script is fine, even if lacking that David Mamet style it so much wants to have. Dustin Hoffman in particular benefits from some juicy lines, chewing the scenery as his menacing though dwarf like ganglord with a predilection for sex of any kind. He looks for all the world like Eddy Jordan on speed, turned to a life of crime and hedonism. Ed Burns is a fine actor, but seems a little out of his depth, and Rachel Weisz plays the sexpot admirably well. In the end we do find a satisfying cleverness to the eventual proceedings - But without an investment in the characters that makes us really care one way or the other who did what to who.
It's a stylish movie, and worth watching, but one could have expected more from the talent involved. Watch it, enjoy, and forget it about 5 minutes later.

This Movie is clearly one of the best movies of 2003. With a great cast of actors (Ed Burns, Andy Garcia, Rachel Weisz, and Dustin Hoffman) you can't help but be interested in this movie. Granted this isn't the first heist movie to come out, but it is clearly one of the best. From the start of the movie to the end you will be sitting on the "edge" of your seat waiting to see what happens. You might even find yourself cursing and warning the actors without even realizing they can't hear you. With a great opening line (So, im lying here dead) and one of the best endings around you can't help but smile when it all comes together nicely. This is one of those movies that you will be talking about days after you have seen it, and will instantly become a classic in anyone's collection. This is one movie that has to be seen to be believed. Without spoiling much or anything for that matter the plot may confuse, but when the end wraps it up you will understand everything. Rent it, buy it, just see the movie and you will agree that this is a great movie too.

CONFIDENCE is a film that exudes same. Made with dazzling artistry and classy cinematography technique this film about grifters and their psyches is well scripted, well directed and very well acted by a team of professionals. That, friends, is how a confidence game works. CONFIDENCE makes us, the audience, feel as though we are on the inside of a con game only to pull one over on us at the end. Ed Burns burns up the screen in a slick and powerful performance. He is ably abetted by his hand selected team - Rachel Weisz (as beautiful and sensitive as always), Paul Giamatti in a star turn as Gordo, Brian Van Holt as a slippery Miles, and frankly surprisingly good Franky G as Lupus. They are up against a wily and devilishly fine Dustin Hoffman and his hench men, Robert Forster as the head of the bank the grifters target, and Andy Garcia in a weasely, well acted role as Burns' nemesis (or is he?). The pacing is breathtaking, the lines are crisp and snorty, and the movement in and out of the present and past is mesmerizing. This is a fine film for Director James Foley and his screenwriter. The background sound may cover the lines at times so be prepared to back track now and then to keep up with this jaunty, naughty team in action!

If you enjoyed the 2001 version of OCEAN'S ELEVEN with its great ensemble cast and witty dialogue with a great twist at the end then the movie "Confidence" should definitely appeal to you. In fact I would go as far as to say that this movie is the true sequel to the Clooney vehicle and not the OCEANS TWELVE that appeared in the same year.
And hey, Andy Garcia even shows up in this movie also, this time as a federal agent hunting down the hero of the movie (played by Edward Burns).
The movie opens with a familat movie trick. Held at gunpoint with his life on the line the hero recounts in flashbacks how he found himself in his present predicament. We learn that his crew pulled of a con on an accountant, taking the man for over $100,000.
The only problem is that said accountant was playing with the money of big-time mobster "The King" (played with zany relish by Dustin Hoffman), and he's none to happy with their antics.
So, the team strike a deal with King to pull off another sting this time against King's sworn enemy, a crooked banker, for a cool $5 million.
What follows is fairly familiar territory (at least for those who saw OCEAN'S ELEVEN). The additional members of the team are assembled and the job is pulled through a series of machinations. Then at the end there is a major twist that turns everything on its head, but still fits in well with the overall structure of the story.
The performances are also very good in this movie with top marks doing to Hoffman as an ADHD mobster and Rachel Weisz as a pickpocket who is recruited onto the team to help snare one of the vice presidents at the targeted bank.