Confidence (2003)

71% of critics liked it
(151 reviews)
69% of users liked it
(16,950 ratings)

James Foley directs the slick crime caper Confidence, written by first-time screenwriter Doug Jung. Told in flashback, smooth-talking con man Jake Vig (Edward Burns) relates an elaborate scheme orchestrated by his gang :Gordo (Paul Giamatti), Miles (Brian Van Holt), and Big Al (Louis Lombardi). The… More James Foley directs the slick crime caper Confidence, written by first-time screenwriter Doug Jung. Told in flashback, smooth-talking con man Jake Vig (Edward Burns) relates an elaborate scheme orchestrated by his gang :Gordo (Paul Giamatti), Miles (Brian Van Holt), and Big Al (Louis Lombardi). The crew pulls off a swindling job stealing money from a guy named Lionel (Leland Orser), who turns out to be a mob accountant for the crazy crime boss known as the King (Dustin Hoffman). After the damage has been done, Jake and his crew attempt to pull off an even bigger scam to make up for their mistake. This time the con involves the King's enemy, the mob-connected banker Morgan Price (Robert Forster). Two corrupt cops (Donal Logue and Luis Guzman) join Jake's team while the King appoints his henchman, Lupus (Frankie G.) to oversee the operation. Rachel Weisz plays Lily, Jake's love interest who is also in on the scam. Eventually, Andy Garcia shows up as FBI Agent Gunther Butan, who has been perpetually chasing after Jake. Confidence premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: James Foley
Written By: Doug Jung
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Apr 25, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Sep 16, 2003
Studio: Lions Gate Releasing

Critic Reviews

Rex Reed, New York Observer
Overplotted, overcontrived, overshot and overedited.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
This is a one sweet sexy sting of a movie.
David Edelstein, Slate
Identity is suicidally insecure.
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
What it shares with most of its predecessors is a sterling cast, in this instance almost entirely male, and the willingness of several talented performers to play against type, with entertainingly comic effect.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
... Confidence does suffer a bit from some plot devices that haven't been original since The Sting, but it's a top-notch character study and a fun exercise in style.
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
Surely there is something wrong with a movie that is supposed to make you go Wow! yet instead provokes a great big Huh?
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Con man meets the mob. Violent, grown-up tale.
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
Jammed with double and triple-crosses that make Doug Jung's confusing screenplay secondary to the film's overall look.
Jay Antani, Los Angeles Alternative
While it sometimes fails to live up to its title, Confidence ultimately, wins us over-in short, it dazzlingly does what all good cons are supposed to do.
Oz, eFilmCritic.com
Misses the first rule of whodunnit filmmaking and never recovers; if you fool me once, you have to at least give me a reason to care that I've been fooled.
Lori Hoffman, Atlantic City Weekly
...the performances elevate a standard con game plot.
Charlie Brown, FilmStew.com
Garcia, who plays the least glamorous role of his life, does the best job of thieving each scene he's in.

Read all 12 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

xGary X

A conman whose crew accidentally takes the money of a crime kingpin is forced into doing a job for him to pay back the debt. Attempting the same kind of smart, sassy and easygoing charm of the likes of the Ocean's films, Confidence is just a little too generic to really light… More
A conman whose crew accidentally takes the money of a crime kingpin is forced into doing a job for him to pay back the debt. Attempting the same kind of smart, sassy and easygoing charm of the likes of the Ocean's films, Confidence is just a little too generic to really light anyone's fire. Edward Burns is rather too "made for television" to have enough charisma to carry the film, Dustin Hoffman, although a great actor in his day, at his age (and height) cannot do intimidating and easily the best character played by Andy Garcia gets nothing like enough screen time. It does have some charm and wit and is slickly directed by James Foley, but it's just a little too overly familiar and does not have enough in the way of personality or surprises to be considered for the big leagues. If it's an undemanding crime caper you're after and you've run out of Clooney films to watch, you could do a lot worse though.
Alice S

Clever twists and slick humor - not as satisfying upon second viewing though. Edward Burns is charmingly stoic.
Anthony L

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!
Ginny

<center>"In every con, sooner or later, somebodys gonna ask the right questions."</center> A medium paced con film that should NEVER even be compared to Oceans Eleven. (O11 is fast paced and… More
<center>"In every con, sooner or later, somebodys gonna ask the right questions."</center> 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.) An 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
Lewis C

A decent heist film in the vein of the Ocean's movies.
Cassandra M

Jake Vig, a charming presence even in the worst of times, makes a perfectly beguiling grifter; as Jake Vig he displays both the smarts to spot big money and the ruthlessness to go after it. Early on in Confidence, he sets his sights on a big target -- The King, a pint-sized crime boss… More
Jake Vig, a charming presence even in the worst of times, makes a perfectly beguiling grifter; as Jake Vig he displays both the smarts to spot big money and the ruthlessness to go after it. Early on in Confidence, he sets his sights on a big target -- The King, a pint-sized crime boss with an eye for strippers and a bad case of ADD. In other hands, the King might have just been a collection of quirks, but Hoffman has the effortless ability to make him both fascinating and complete. Together, he and Burns form a strong pair of tentpoles under which Confidence can develop its complicated scheme. Naturally, it's not as simple as Vig picking the King out of a crowd. He and his crew unknowingly fleece an important underling, stealing a substantial chunk of the King's money. Before they realize their error, one of their number has a bullet in his head and the rest are ready to cut and run, leaving Vig to do some fast thinking. So he approaches the King directly, offering to pay back the funds by pulling an even bigger scam on the crime lord's hated rival. Unfortunately, the plan requires an additional player, and Vig settles on a pickpocket femme fatale named Lily who may not have the group's best interests at heart. He also neglects to mention the federal marshal on his trail, who could land the entire lot of them in prison. Like he did in Glengarry Glen Ross, Foley demonstrates considerable skill working with an ensemble, aptly balancing the characters with the needs of the story. As a technical exercise Confidence is well-tuned, and the 98 minute running time feels just about right. The script brims with terrific dialogue, which the cast takes great relish in delivering, and the uniformly excellent performances never become forced or mannered .Dustin Hoffman gives a fresh and original performance that should have landed him at the very least an Oscar nomination. Like the length of the film is just about perfect. It's incredibly fast paced. This one movie that has re-watch-ability written all over it and an excellent flick that should not be missed.
Al S

Relentlessly enjoyable. A smart, funny, stylish and teriffic crime thriller. It packs plenty of twist and endless surprises. Ed Burns gives his best performance to date.
Drew S

Fantastic performances, a strong sense of style, and immaculate pacing keep Confidence from becoming a generic heist thriller. I've never found Edward Burns to have much personality as an actor, but he does well here. Rachel Weisz is great as always, and Dustin Hoffman and Paul… More
Fantastic performances, a strong sense of style, and immaculate pacing keep Confidence from becoming a generic heist thriller. I've never found Edward Burns to have much personality as an actor, but he does well here. Rachel Weisz is great as always, and Dustin Hoffman and Paul Giamatti really steal the show. The main plot is by no means brilliant, eschewing extensive character development in favor of energy and trimness, but it is just right for this kind of movie. The characters are likeable people (at least, for a group of cons). Oh, and you've gotta love the ending. Highly recommended.
Michael G

A great heist movie. The only thing that killed it for me was the Coldplay song I heard a billion times that lead into the credits.
Deb S

Ed Burns is Jake, the leader of a band of con men who rips off a mob boss (played by Dustin Hoffman). Now to pay back Hoffman, they have to try and con one of the most important people in the city. Rachel Weisz plays the street thief Burns takes under his wing who serves as bait. Paul… More
Ed Burns is Jake, the leader of a band of con men who rips off a mob boss (played by Dustin Hoffman). Now to pay back Hoffman, they have to try and con one of the most important people in the city. Rachel Weisz plays the street thief Burns takes under his wing who serves as bait. Paul Giamatti is great as Burn's cohort and Andy Garcia has a nice bit as a grungy, yet ruthless federal agent.
Alec B

Ever since The Sting, everyone wants to make the next great con movie, there have been a few good ones, but Confidence is too medicore to count among them. I was never surprised because once you've seen enough of these movies you know they plan to surpirse you in the end and I… More
Ever since The Sting, everyone wants to make the next great con movie, there have been a few good ones, but Confidence is too medicore to count among them. I was never surprised because once you've seen enough of these movies you know they plan to surpirse you in the end and I expected something ridiculous and that's what I got. It's not all bad though, I loved the scenes with Dustin Hoffman as an ADHD gangster. I wish the movie was about him and not a run of the mill con.
Andre T

Starring Edward Burns, Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia and Rachel Weisz, directed by James Foley, and written by Doug Jung.A group of grifters rip off their latest mark and celebrate, while de facto leader of the group Jake Vig (Edward Burns) explains the art of the con. When one of the… More
Starring Edward Burns, Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia and Rachel Weisz, directed by James Foley, and written by Doug Jung.A group of grifters rip off their latest mark and celebrate, while de facto leader of the group Jake Vig (Edward Burns) explains the art of the con. When one of the four is found shot to death, the other three learn that the latest money they stole actually belonged to a local L.A. crime lord called The King (Dustin Hoffman). Jake proposes that the grifters work for the King and steal money from Morgan Price (Robert Forster), a rival who owns a bank.With a clever screenplay but a little with "too much talk" this is a well made film.
Marcus W

Did they hire Edward Burns because Ben Affleck said no? Will Burns end up with Weisz? Is Garcia really a Fed? Will they all get away with it in the end? Who's conning who? Who cares?