Edward Burns, Rachel Weisz, Morris Chestnut

What Jake Vig doesn't know just might get him killed. A sharp and polished grifter, Jake has just swindled thousands of dollars from the unsuspecting Lionel Dolby with the help of his crew: Insideman ...( read more  read more... )Gordo, Shills Miles, and Big Al--and two corrupt LAPD officers, Lloyd Whitworth and Omar Manzano. But when both Lionel and Big Al turn up dead, it becomes clear that Lionel wasn't just any mark--as Jake soon learns, he was an accountant for eccentric crime boss Winston King. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Jake offers to repay The King by pulling off the biggest con of his career. The mark? Morgan Price, a banker with deep ties to organized crime. With so much riding on the outcome, Jake decides to bring in a brash, blonde pickpocket named Lily, who joins the crew in a complex scheme involving corporate loans, creative accounting, wire transfers and off-shore accounts. Jake and his crew will have to stay one step ahead of both the criminals and the cops to finally settle their debt.

Flixster Users

72% liked it

4,020 ratings

Critics

71% liked it

150 critics

R, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: James Foley

Release Date: April 25, 2003

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DVD Release Date: September 16, 2003

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Flixster Reviews (756)


  • September 28, 2009
    It?s ok but Dustin Hoffman was terribly miscast considering in the book, his character is this giant muscle-bound thug who sends fair into the hearts of all things living. Hardly!
  • May 6, 2009
    "Foley's a great stylist--solid eye-candy,script mediocre..the dialogue has this frenetic grind that seems to try to cover something a litte hollow.Hoffman's great,though,as is Giamatti,and Burns ain't bad for such a good-lookin' devil...see it if you like great technique and vir...( read more)tuosity in filmmaking..thin,though..
  • April 25, 2009
    "In every con, sooner or later, somebodys gonna ask the right questions."

    A medium paced con film that should NEVER even be compared to Oceans Eleven. (O11 is fast paced and upbeat, this one just likes to take a power walk.) A...( read more)n all star cast ensemble that delivers just the right amount of ear catching dialogues. Starts of rather choppy but it picks up after a while.

    So its nothing fresh, but its quite an interesting ride. Sure it has a few minor dents, but its also got a golden easter egg. Want to find out what it is? Watch it from start to finish.

    I absolutely love the soundtrack! Christophe Beck, Fischerspooner, Groove Armanda, Zero 7 and Coldplay are just a few of the names on the OST. Check it out!!

    What not to expect: Gun totting action

    Director: James Foley
    Rated R
  • March 11, 2009
    A film that I would wander by and think, "Hmmm...Dustin Hoffman..." but never really thought about. then, it re-appeared with a slipsleeve/O-ring and suddenly I couldn't resist. Yes, I am a marketing victim, but I think we all knew that. I snagged it because every time I skip on ...( read more)a slipsleeve [the term I've chosen for them, since they're more like sleeves than covers, in my opinion] it disappears, and the case below isn't as good. Sometimes this is simply due to the loss of gloss, the gain of gloss (from matting), the loss of metallic undertones, or, occasionally, that rarest of rare treasures--the DIFFERENT slipsleeve.
    Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid--as recently re-released about two years ago--did this. So did Confidence. Actually, the slipsleeve for Confidence kind of sucks, and isn't as good as the cover below, but I have *both* now.

    Anyway, moving on...

    There's a very strong cast here--with tons of great character actors sprinkled throughout. Really, the term is becoming difficult to use since we know so many of those actors by name now. But, all the same, this cast includes Rachel Weisz (who I don't believe I've seen before, only know as having been in Constantine--to which I'd say "strike one," but that's really all three strikes in one--and didn't impress me), Robert Forster (who I will always know for Alligator before anything else), Luis Guzmán, Paul Giamatti, Louis Lombardi (known most recently as Edgar on 24), Donal Logue, and of course, Dustin Hoffman.
    It's in that subgenre of crime films that is the "con" film. Of course we can always look to things like Ridley Scott's Matchstick Men or The Sting or the last one I saw, Shade and see that...yeah, this has been done. It was most reminiscent of Matchstick Men in a general plot and character sense--kind of funny, as both were released in 2003. But, there was a strong style to it--not that disjointed narratives are anything new, either--and fantastic opening titles. The soundtrack was very ambient electronic stuff, which made a good impression even starting from the menu alone.

    Edward Burns was the star, and I'm still trying to think of anything else I've seen him in. I'm sure if I checked IMDb, I'd know, but as it stands, I can't think of a solitary thing. Regardless, he DID impress me, and had a solid character to work with. The plotting was, thankfully, not completely transparent, which is necessary for any con film, but I did see a few odd bits coming. All the same, it fit together perfectly, the style held and didn't feel overbearing, and seeing all of those folk in their bits and pieces roles was great fun. Didn't overrun its welcome and told a solid, well-paced story.
    Not an awful lot more to say than that...
  • February 29, 2008
    A decent heist film in the vein of the Ocean's movies.
  • September 25, 2009
    Interesting throughout, but finishes strong!
  • August 9, 2009
    pretty decent. Entertained enough.
  • June 24, 2009
    And who was conning whom...
  • June 22, 2009
    Great ending..... Rachel Weisz looks soooo hot in this movie
  • May 23, 2009
    confidence is neccsary to keep up in life

Critic Reviews


May 8, 2003
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

This is a one sweet sexy sting of a movie. full review

May 2, 2003
David Edelstein, Slate

Identity is suicidally insecure. full review

April 25, 2003
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

There's enough hard-boiled style here to nudge this movie into the worth-seeing category. full review

April 25, 2003
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

A very smart thriller. full review

April 25, 2003
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Unlike with Mamet, there's no real payoff, not in insights, psychology or language -- just a clutch of anxious-to -charm movie stars, a puzzle-box plot, and an ending that encourages us to applaud ven... full review

April 25, 2003
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

What a shame, that such a well-made movie is never able to convince us it is anything more than merely well-made. full review

April 24, 2003
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

If Confidence was made by people who have seen too many movies, it seems to be aimed at people who have seen too few. full review

April 24, 2003
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

You know you're being manipulated, set up for the big switcheroo, but the players are so juicy and the plot blips along with such momentum that you can only hang on and enjoy the ride. full review

View more Confidence reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Confidence Trivia


  • Which actress has battled mummies, displays Confidence in herself with no Envy, and didn't make it to the end of The Constant Gardener?  Answer »
  • Which movie starred Edward Burns, Rachel Weisz, Andy Garcia and Dustin Hoffman with the tag line "They lie. They cheat. They steal... But they do it with style."?  Answer »
  • Film Soundtracks The songs in this musical include: Do-Re-Mi Edelweiss I Have Confidence How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria My Favourite Things Sixteen Going On Seventeen So Long, Farewell Something Good The Lonely Goatherd  Answer »
  • All the following movies were based on Elmore Leonard's books except?  Answer »

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