Confidence Starring Edward Burns, Dustin Hoffman Directed by James Foley Rated R for language, violence and sexuality/nudity out of Stars, Movie Grade: B+

Theatrical Release: April 25, 2003
Running time: 97 minutes

by Kevin Lang

As expressed in the film, being a good con man is like being a good chess player, both have to foresee all of their adversary's key moves long before they make them. However, in the case of the con man, there can be many adversaries, including the mark, law enforcement, and a handful of other variables that can come into play. This was the case in "Confidence," an intelligent film that played like a high-energy course in grifting, as the film (primarily Edward Burns's character) demonstrated and explained the rules of the con.

The story evolved after Jake (Edward Burns) conned a man connected to a local crime boss known as King (Dustin Hoffman). It turned out that it was King's money that Jake and his partners stole. In retaliation, King killed one of Jake's men, and Jake soon found out that the only way that he and his crew could escape death would be to work with King on a con that would pay him back.

Jake picked up two new partners for the big con, including the attractive Lily (Rachel Weisz), with whom he became romantically involved. The rest of the movie surrounded this one con. The mark was a wealthy businessman and criminal who grew up with King, but ended up more successful.

The most enjoyable part of "Confidence" was watching the relationships develop among the group of con men (and one woman). For the con to work, it became a question of loyalty, trust, and knowing your adversary's every move, which also involved knowing who exactly were your adversaries. This became the theme of the movie, and it significantly elevated the energy level throughout.

In the end, Edward Burns gave a sharp performance as the crew's leader, and Dustin Hoffman was enjoyable as well. The overall story didn't have a significant impact on me, but its interesting characters, fact pace, and witty execution was well worth watching.

"Confidence" Review written May 3, 2003, CTF.

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