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Confidence by James Foley
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DVD Cover InformationActor: Andy Garcia, Dustin Hoffman, Edward Burns, Morris Chestnut, Rachel Weisz Director: James Foley Producer: Eberhard Kayser Producer: Eric Kopeloff Producer: John Sacchi Producer: Marc Butan Producer: Marco Mehlitz Producer: Michael Burns Writer: Doug Jung DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1 Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen Picture Format: 1.77:1 Running Time: 97 minutes Published: 2003-09-01 DVD Release Date: 2003-09-16 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Studio: Lions Gate
Movie Reviews of ConfidenceMovie Review: coming in under the radar Summary: 5 Stars
Well - excellent movie, clever plot, clever dialogues, great performances ( Dustin Hoffman (cast against type) is interestingly creepy, Rachel Weisz is pure "bait with brains" and Edward Burns (not really my favourite actor) comes over with a surprisingly great amount of suave confidence... as for the supporting cast - as good as the leads, Andy Garcia takes the cake, though ), moody soundtrack, and - just for once - in this almost "sucked-dry" genre of 'Heist' and 'Sting' movies, an unpredictable ending..... and while it skips over some of the the less interesting details of the sting's setup and planning (like some forgeries etc ), the story stays sound - especially through Burn's comments from off-screen filling in details, attitude and superstitions. It compares very well to "Oceans Eleven" but is less swinging, ironic and hip, much grittier with ugly stains showing through the gloss, and somewhat less certainty about the outcome. As for the story - a group of conficence men pull off the wrong guy, or rather they con him out of the wrong money. Now, in debt to a local mobster (Hofmann ), they agree to trick an old enemy of said mobster out of several million bucks - and doing this with crooked cops, irritated gangsters and federal agents on their tail. Sounds simple, but like all good sting stories it has a cartload of double-dealing, backstabbing and corrupting gears busily shifting and turning. Rather surprisingly for a contemporary gangster/crime story the violence, while definitely there, is neither overwhelming nor sickeningly self-serving, the camera-work is hands on, and for once the world is at its most dangerous when it looks glossy, stylish and neat. Of course everyone missed it on the big screen while watching the Hulk, Tomb Raider 2 and Charlies Angles : FT and cussing - go figure. Just like the perfect con - you don't notice its excellence until it's over. Now wisen up guys and at least get the DVD. No regrets - trust me on this.
Summary of ConfidenceBathed in self-conscious cool, "Confidence" is a heist caper in which the heist is unimportant. As you might expect from "Glengarry Glen Ross" director James Foley, this pulpy concoction is more interested in giving good actors a lot of hip, salty dialogue as they scheme their way to the royal scam. It's a poor man's "Ocean's Eleven", just as enjoyable in its own way, beginning when con artist Jake (Edward Burns) discovers he's accidentally stolen from an eccentric crime boss (Dustin Hoffman, oozing threat in a fine character turn). Promising to make amends by pulling the biggest con of his career, Jake adds a feisty pickpocket (Rachel Weisz) to his crew, which includes scene-stealer Paul Giammatti and Andy Garcia as a disheveled FBI agent (or is he?). With a cast like this you can't go wrong, but "Confidence" cons itself into thinking it's original, while Burns's abundant voice-overs state the obvious and plot twists unfold with minimal surprise. It hardly matters; "Confidence" may be derivative, but it's still recommendable. "--Jeff Shannon" Bathed in self-conscious cool, Confidence is a heist caper in which the heist is unimportant. As you might expect from Glengarry Glen Ross director James Foley, this pulpy concoction is more interested in giving good actors a lot of hip, salty dialogue as they scheme their way to the royal scam. It's a poor man's Ocean's Eleven, just as enjoyable in its own way, beginning when con artist Jake (Edward Burns) discovers he's accidentally stolen from an eccentric crime boss (Dustin Hoffman, oozing threat in a fine character turn). Promising to make amends by pulling the biggest con of his career, Jake adds a feisty pickpocket (Rachel Weisz) to his crew, which includes scene-stealer Paul Giammatti and Andy Garcia as a disheveled FBI agent (or is he?). With a cast like this you can't go wrong, but Confidence cons itself into thinking it's original, while Burns's abundant voice-overs state the obvious and plot twists unfold with minimal surprise. It hardly matters; Confidence may be derivative, but it's still recommendable. --Jeff Shannon
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