Was I Conned?

This post is all due to one of my students lending me this film and hyping it a bit. At first I was skeptical of his intentions, but once the film was over I understood why he was so excited. Even though the film is by no means a great film, it was certainly a fun ride. Are you confident enough to find out what I think about Confidence?

The film is a typical who is scamming who caper with various nuances that place this film a little above other con films. For me, these types of films will never be recognized as works of art. However, who says film always has to be highly critical, why can’t a film just be entertaining? First let me set you up a bit with the story. Basically, Jake Vig (Edward Burns) and his crew get themselves involved in a con that ends up placing them in trouble with a big time crime boss Winston King (Dustin Hoffman). To pay him back, Jake sets up another con to help King take down his rival. Jake assembles his crew, including sultry Lily (Rachel Weisz), and begins the scam. From here on out, the film leads the viewer to believe they have the entire con figured out, only to twist the tale. Part of the reward of watching this film is that moment when you go, “Oh, now I get it.”

The plot does not make the movie, it only gives the actors a place to shine. I really enjoyed the acting, which can be a problem with ensemble casts such as this. One of the only other films I think does it this well is Snatch. Ed Burns does a great job of being the glue of the film and also bringing out his character through the voice-over narration. But it’s his supporting cast that really makes the film work. Let me just list some of the names involved in this film to give you an idea of how chocked full of talent it really was. Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia, Morris Chestnut, Paul Giamatti, Donal Logue, Luis Guzman, Rachel Weisz. Phew, not to mention great performances from relative unknowns such as Franky G and Tommy “Tiny” Lister. One of my favorite scenes involves Franky G as Lupus, one of King’s henchmen, assigned to the con to ensure the King gets what he wants. The crew is sitting around a table trying to convince a VP he should get involved in giving them a corporate loan when the VP (John Carroll Lynch – Drew Carey’s brother on The Drew Carey Show) mentions that most dot coms went bust for specific reasons and that their little company seems to be heading down that same path. As the rest of the crew seem to falling back, Lupus (who up until this point seems dimwitted and has kept quiet through the entire dinner) spots off a very convincing string of business talk with so much passion that the VP immediately changes his mind. It made me laugh, which is a good thing.

Beyond the characters, the story is told in a different way than most con films. The first shot begins with an overhead shot of Jake on the ground while he narrates “I’m dead.” Even though it provides a neat angle, I can’t help but think it is a bit cliche. But I am always comparing films like this to The Usual Suspects. I also found that it was all wrapped up a bit too neat. The big con itself begins well into the movie and it’s a really fast downhill to the finish.

Overall, this will never win an award but it does have a special place in my heart. Okay so that’s a bit overboard. I enjoyed it and had a good time, which is all a movie has to do to be good sometimes.