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A Lions Gate release. Written by Doug Jung; directed by James Foley; starring Edward Burns, Dustin Hoffman and Rachel Weisz. Released to DVD on September 16, 2003. 
The heist film was one of the more popular genres in Hollywood during the ’90’s. The appeal of the heist film was the undeniably thrill of vicariously planning and executing a stellar crime, which I suppose you can chalk up to the degenerate and criminal nature lurking in the hearts of most work-a-day people. But a funny thing happened with heist films; audiences stopped caring about the characters and thus America’s interest in the films began to substantially wane. With the leads always seven or eight steps ahead of everyone else in the movie, it really comes as no surprise that they ultimately end up getting away with all the money. Director James Foley’s Confidence is the latest David Mamet inspired heist film to hit theatres. However, unlike The Score and Heist, Confidence learns from the mistakes of similar movies and works hard to keep the on-screen action simple. Edward Burns stars as Jake Vig, the peculiarly named leader of a small group of con men. As the film opens, Vig and his crew are scamming Lionel Dolby (Leland Orser) out of a briefcase of hundred dollar bills. After some time passes, it becomes apparent to Vig and Co. that Dolby was not the true owner of the money. That distinction belongs to the King (Dustin Hoffman), an unstable crime lord with an inferiority complex. In order to right the situation, Vig agrees to pull an even bigger scam and return the King’s money to him from the haul of the next job. Like The House of Games or The Thomas Crown Affair, Confidence does have its fair share of plot left turns and revelations, but screenwriter Doug Jung works hard to instill a sense of doubt in the viewer. Will Vig get away with the cash and the girl? You just don’t know, and the results might surprise you. Entertaining to say the least, Confidence puts the fun back into the heist genre. Hopefully it’s here to stay.
jake lever yes, it's true: According to the BBC, people who constantly seek attention lack self-confidence. |
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