Confidence (released in theaters on April 25, 2003) is a sleek, hyper-stylized crime thriller that arrived at the tail end of the post-Tarantino boom of the late nineties and early 2000s. Directed by James Foley, the film is a masterclass in narrative misdirection, utilizing a non-linear structure and a saturated, noir-inspired color palette to bring the gritty underbelly of Los Angeles to life.
It is a film that revels in the “art of the steal,” where every character is a player and every line of dialogue is a potential lie. With its sharp pacing and an ensemble cast of heavy hitters, it remains one of the most polished caper movies of its era.
Jake Vig (Edward Burns) is a smooth, disciplined grifter who leads a tight-knit team of con artists, including the reliable Gordo (Paul Giamatti) and Miles (Brian Van Holt), with corrupt LAPD detectives (Luis Guzman and Donal Louge) on their payroll.
Their latest “big store” con goes off without a hitch, but with one fatal flaw: the mark they fleeced was actually an accountant for “The King” (Dustin Hoffman), a ruthless, eccentric, and agoraphobic crime lord.
When one of Jake’s team members is murdered in retaliation, Jake realizes the only way to stay alive is to pay The King back—with interest.
Jake proposes a daring, multi-million dollar “long con” to The King, targeting a wealthy corporate banker. To bolster his team, Jake recruits a skilled pickpocket named Lily (Rachel Weisz), whose presence introduces a volatile element of romantic tension.
However, the plan is complicated by the arrival of Gunther Butan (Andy Garcia), a dogged Special Agent who has been hunting Jake for years.
As the con moves through various stages of setup, involving corporate fixers like Travis (Morris Chestnut) and old-school connections like Morgan Price (Robert Forster), the audience is kept off-balance by shifting loyalties and hidden agendas.
The narrative builds to a high-stakes finale at a private airport where the con finally “goes down,” leaving everyone—including the viewer—questioning who was the predator and who was the prey.
Leland Orser, Franky G, and Tom ‘Tiny’ Lister round out the cast.
Confidence (Photo/Lionsgate Films)
Reception for Confidence
Confidence grossed $4.8 million on its opening weekend, finishing fifth at the box office.
The film would gross $23 million worldwide.
Roger Ebert gave Confidence two out of four stars in his review.
Legacy
The legacy of Confidence is its reputation as a “smart” crime movie that values wit and atmosphere over mindless action.
The movie is noted for its intricate “plan-within-a-plan” script, which continues to be a point of study for fans of the heist genre.
Confidence stands as a stylish artifact of early 2000s neo-noir, praised for its cool aesthetic, its twisty plotting, and its reminder that in the world of the grift, the most dangerous weapon is a person’s own greed.
