Edward Burns as Jake Vig
Rachel Weisz as Lily
Andy Garcia as Gunther Butan
Dustin Hoffman as King
Paul Giamatti as Gordo
Donal Logue as Whitworth
Luis Guzmán as Manzano
Brian Van Holt as Miles
Franky G. as Lupus
Morris Chestnut as Travis
Robert Forster as Morgan Price
Critique:
Confidence: Having trust or faith in a person. It is also a secret. The movie “Confidence” embodies both of those definitions.
The movie introduces us to Jake (Edward Burns) as he is lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood, wondering how he got there. He flashes back three weeks earlier, just after the completion of a successful scam, and the beginning of a series of events that lead up to where the movie begins.
There are several plot twists and unexpected turns in the movie as four different groups of people try to outsmart each other and be the one to come out on top. While most of the movie deals with dark subjects and deceptions, it is able to maintain a level of humor that prevents it from becoming too overbearing. The plot is similar to that of many other con-game movies, but it is still able to mask where the deceit will happen.
The acting is terrific with great performances put in by Dustin Hoffman and Andy Garcia. The rest of the supporting cast also delivers crisp dialog without a miscue in the movie. A couple of times the speech was edited in too low, but it was not a major distraction and did not last more than a word or two.
The movie is character driven so there was little call for special effects, but it did have a couple well-choreographed fight scenes. Unlike many movies in the genre, most of the film was shot bright which highlighted the scenes that required being in the shadows.
As with most movies relating to crime and confidence games, the movie has an R rating. There are a couple scenes with nudity in it and a lot of foul language. The violence is kept to a minimum and when it does happen, it is not done graphically.
Who should see this movie? If you are a fan of con games and crime dramas, then you should enjoy this movie. It feels like “The Grifters” but a little less dark. There is little action, so if you need a fix of car chases you should go someplace else. There is a love story but it is hard to tell if it is honest or just another con job. There is a surprising amount of humor in the movie and while not a true comedy it should bring a few smiles to your face.
In the end the big question is whether the movie can surprise and be suspenseful. Overall it does a very good job at that, and while I guessed the ending, I did not know exactly how they were going to get there. If you want a well-acted drama that will keep you wondering what is going to happen until the very end then you should enjoy watching “Confidence”.
