Movies about con artists can be pretty entertaining and Confidence is a perfect example. I mean, you already know that this is going to be a great movie when you see the cast. Featuring stylish cinematography and a classic con artist story, it’s really easy to watch. There are enough twists and character development to keep you engaged and perhaps set you on a binge of similar movies. Catch Me If You Can, American Hustle, Criminal and Matchstick Men to name a few.
Directed by James Foley (Glengarry Glen Ross), you can feel the vibe they were trying to create. Sure, the script wasn’t written by David Mamet but it still provides enough juicy scenes and twists. Perhaps Oceans Eleven would be the best comparison, especially considering the cast of Confidence. The dialogue was well-written and you’ll get to know our gang pretty good. What I liked most about this movie is its unpretentious nature. It’s not trying to be some masterpiece but a lighthearted thriller you know is going to end well. A very stylish lighthearted thriller if I might add.
Meet Jake Vig, a con artist celebrating his latest successful job with the rest of his gang. He’s an artist of sorts, a smart and confident player who knows the ins and outs of the trade. However, their celebration is cut short when they learn that the money they took belongs to a very powerful criminal that goes by the name of The King. Scrapped for cash, their only option is to pull another job…
Edward Burns was a perfect choice for this role, and he did his job flawlessly along with all the others (Weisz, my old flame was also great). Confidence is a formulaic thriller done by the book with a nice juicy budget to tighten up the cinematography and the overall vibe. It almost feels like this is an homage to older con artist movies. But I could be wrong, what are your thoughts about this. Do you think it’s original enough to stand on its own two feet?
There’s a reason why this genre survived throughout all those years. Viewers are living vicariously through our resourceful characters evading traps and thinking outside of the box. Additionally, after the movie is over you tell yourself that you might be more resistant to schemes and cons in real life. You see the way these people are thinking and how they’re setting up these traps for gullible marks. So, there’s nothing left to do but to make some popcorn, buy some beer and roll some joints. And play this movie, of course.
Director: James Foley
Writer: Doug Jung
Cast: Edward Burns, Rachel Weisz, Paul Giamatti, Luis Guzmán, Dustin Hoffman, Brian Van Holt, April O’Brien, Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister, Louis Lombardi
Fun Stuff: The word “fuck” appears in the script 130 times.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0310910/
