"Seemingly inspired by Pulp Fiction, The Sting and anything presented by the word processor of David Mamet...yet still the flick entertains in its own right. And wait till you see this CAST!" Scott Weinberg, EFILMCRITIC.COM "Worth the price of admission if only to see Hoffman play a slimeball, he's great!" John Venable SUPERCALA.COM "A caper thriller that's fast, funny and smart." Jeff Vice DESERET NEWS, SALT LAKE CITY "...gritty and intriguing." Tony Toscano TALKING PICTURES "The movie reels us in, plays to our baser instincts, invites our trust, flatters our skepticism, and pays us out again at the precise moment our guard is let down." Ella Taylor LA WEEKLY

"A stylish, compelling crime caper full of smoothly navigated plot twists." David Rooney VARIETY "Foley’s nourishing and naughty narrative provides plenty of confidence in which to draw upon. This is a gently convoluted but smooth scam piece that sucks the audience into its wily realm of mischievousness" Frank Ochieng MOVIE EYE "It goes quickly, has a neat little ditty of a performance by Dustin Hoffman and features some con man trickery of average entertainment value." Eugene Novikov FILM BLATHER "The pleasures of this movie are not so much in the plot as in the small moments of character. That's where the real surprises and freshness are." Nell Minow MOVIE MOM "Burns is so convincing as a scamster, you'd keep your hand on your wallet if you ever saw him walking toward you. It's a role Burns was born for." Phil Villarreal ARIZONA DAILY STAR

At A Glance

"Director James Foley has taken the heist genre to new heist with his latest film, CONFIDENCE, a slick film that has twist and turns that will leave you enthusiastic at the end" ........... Wilson Morales BLACKFILM.COM

There's been a lot of pre-release publicity on "Confidence" and the good news is that it has all been good. And why not, this is a very classy little number with a great cast, all of whom do a fabulous job. Can you imagine Dustin Hoffman as a gum chewing small time crime boss? Well you'd better believe it. The man who once slept on the floor of Gene Hackmans apartment and was advised to stick to stage directing and forget about pursuing a career as an actor just continues to amaze with every role he takes on. Hey, not that there's anything wrong with being a brilliant director, but aren't you so glad Hoffman never gave up on his vision. That's the stuff great actors are made of. But "Confidence" isn't just about Dustin Hoffman. He's just one of a classy cast that oozes talent like crude oil did for Jed Clampett. Heading the cast list is Edward Norton ["Sidewalks Of New York", "15 Minutes" and "Saving Private Ryan"] as Jake Vig the smooth operator behind the gangs so far, very successful run of scams. Of course if you're going to keep ripping people off you need a little protection or something that ensures the poor suckers don't talk. That falls to a couple of corrupt cops played by Luis Guzman ["Traffic", "Punch Drunk LOve" and "The Count of Monte Cristo"] as Officer Manzano and Donal Logue ["The Patriot", "Runaway Bride" and "Blade"] as Officer Whitworth. Jakes backed by a handpicked crew which includes the talented Paul Giamatti ["Planet of the Apes", "Saving Private Ryan" and "Big Fat Liar"] as Gordo, Brian Van Holt ["Windtalkers", "Black Hawk Down" and "Whipped"] as Shills Miles and Louis Lombardi ["The Usual Suspects", "Ed Wood" and "Natural Born Killers"] as Big Al. Of course there has to be a love interest, a broad as the gangsters say, and that falls to the stunning Rachel Weisz ["Chain Reaction", "The Mummy", "The Mummy Returns" and "Beautiful Creatures"] as Lily. There are two wild cards in "Confidence" and they are Dustin Hoffman ["Tootsie", "Outbreak", "Kramer vs Kramer" and "Sleepers"] as The King and Andy Garcia ["Ocean's Eleven", "The Man from Elysian Fields" and "Accidental Hero"] as a special agent who never gives up.
But you could have all the best actors in the world and that wouldn't guarantee success. For that you need good direction and that's the big plus for Confidence, its Director, James Foley. He was most impressed with Doug Jungs script. But was that all that enticed him into the directors chair? "I'm not interested just in heist movies, of people planning and of elaborate plot intricacies. That on its own does not appeal to me," he said. "But if it can be combined with characters that are complicated and have a certain emotional reality to them, and if the plot revelations strengthen the characters 'aliveness,' then all the better." Considering he was talking about a film based on a 'con', I wondered if he was realy telling it straight. "Well, I'm a director so I have to be a con man. I've been working on that my whole life," joked Foley. The Story

"A final twist that will knock your socks off with sharp dialogue and a breakneck pace throughout."...Harvey S Karten COMPUSERVE

Jake Vig [Edward Norton] is a grifter. He's good, but no-one has yet seen just how good he really can be when it comes to pulling off a swindle. He's just relieved an unsuspecting Lionel Dolby of thousands of dollars. What he doesn't know is the money belongs to a local crime boss known as The King. The king isn't too happy so he sends Jake a message. When a hit-man kills Big Al, one of Jakes team, the rest of the guys panic. But not Jake. He decides to front The King. No, not to return his money, but to offer him a share in another sting. The King is impressed. He likes Jake. But can he be trusted. The King picks Morgan Price, a wealthy banker who also doubles as a crim. Jake plans to rip Price off for $5 million. But he'll need a new addition to the team if they are to pull this one off. That new addition is the beautiful Lily [Rachel Weisz]. But then trouble appears on the horizon. It seems Jake has pissed off a special agent named Gunther Butan [Andy Garcia]. He's arrived in LA and he's determined to put Jake behind bars. The Verdict "A smart, cleverly constructed story with plenty of twists and turns. "Confidence will leave you hanging right to the very end. The cast are superb even if you've never imagined Dustin Hoffman playing a gum chewing, small time crime boss. Full of surprises and never a dull moment." The Cast & Crew

Edward Burns Rachel Weisz Andy Garcia Dustin Hoffman Paul Giamatti Donal Logue Luis Guzmán Brian Van Holt Franky G Morris Chestnut Tommy 'Tiny' Lister Jr John Carroll Lynch Louis Lombardi Leland Orser Robert Pine Elysia Skye April O'Brien Robert Forster Michelle Ruben Mary Portser

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Jake Vig Lily Agent Gunther Butan The King Gordo Officer Whitworth Officer Manzano Miles Lupus Travis Harlin Grant Ashby Big Al Lionel Dolby Mr Lewis Salesgirl Attractive Blonde Morgan Price Kitty Marie

Directed by James Foley Written by Doug Jung Cinematography by Juan Ruiz Anchía Film Editing by Stuart Levy Casting by Sheila Jaffe & Georgianne Walken Production Design by Bill Arnold Art Direction by Sue Chan Set Decoration by Maria Nay Costume Design by Michele Michel Makeup Department Head Steve Artmont Rated MA15+ [AUST] Run Time 97 minutes Copyright ©2003 - Lions Gate Entertainment - All Rights Reserved Copyright©2003 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved