Confidence (2003)

Director:

James Foley

Writer (WGA):

Doug Jung (written by)

Release Date:

25 April 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

It's not about the money. It's about the money.

Plot:

Jake Vig (Burns) is a consummate grifter about to pull his biggest con yet, one set to avenge his friend's murder. But his last scam backfired, leaving him indebted to a mob boss (Hoffman) and his enforcer.

Plot Keywords:

Grifter | Banker | Crime Boss | Organized Crime | Murder

Cast

Edward Burns	...	Jake Vig
Rachel Weisz	...	Lily
Morris Chestnut	...	Travis
Leland Orser	...	Lionel Dolby
Louis Lombardi	...	Big Al
Paul Giamatti	...	Gordo
Brian Van Holt	...	Miles
Donal Logue	...	Whitworth
Luis Guzmán	...	Manzano (as Luis Guzman)
April O'Brien	...	Attractive Blonde
Jay Giannone	...	Car Salesman
Tommy 'Tiny' Lister	...	Harlin
Franky G	...	Lupus
Dustin Hoffman	...	King
Melissa Lawner	...	Katie

Also Known As:

CONfidence (USA) (alternative spelling)
Confidence: After Dark (UK)
En toute confiance (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, violence and sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA | Canada | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #39469) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:18A | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Canada:A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Deep Nightclub - 1707 N. Vine Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

The word "fuck" is said 130 times.

Goofs:

Continuity: The blood spatter on Jake's shirt changes in the opening scene.

Quotes:

Jake: How about you getting the A.D.D, under control. You look at me when I'm talking to you.

Movie Connections:

References Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead (1995)

Soundtrack:

What a Man

Formulaic but fun

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.