The American - Poster Giveaway
Ends Sep 5, 2010
Enter today for your chance to win this full-sized, double-sided theatrical poster from the upcoming Focus Features Film.
"So I'm dead," begins Ed Burns' opening for his movie "Confidence." Normally the double-whammy of a voice over and story told through flashbacks of a dead man would signal a movie that's dead on arrival (okay, it worked for "American Beauty"). But don't bury this one quite yet, or you'd miss some decent performances by Burns and Dustin Hoffman.
Jake Vig is the experienced and confident, if superstitious, leader of a small crew of experts in the confidence game. He can identify and exploit any mark, isn't afraid to face trouble but knows when to cut a loss, and quotes legendary con men almost as a mantra. "A confidence game," goes one saying, "is like a play, where everyone plays a part." Filling out his cast are Paul Giamatti as a high strung car lover with some very high toilet standards, and Brian Van Holt in the stripper-loving playboy mold. Plying their trade from an L.A. hole in the wall, their cons pay the bills without drawing too much heat. It helps that they have two cops (Donal Logue and Luis Guzman) on the take for extra insurance that once a mark is taken, he won't come back looking for his money.
Unfortunately, this crew is about to hit the big time. Their latest mark happens to be the collection man for an independent heavy who calls himself 'The King.' The King quickly traces the money back to Jake's regular blabber-mouth shill, and sends him on to con man heaven. Jake's two pals want to split, but Jake decides to get some face time with King, offering to run another con to restore good feelings all around. King's choice target is shady bank mogul Morgan Price (a disappointing minimal role for the very cool Robert Forster), and the prize: a cool $5 million. Jake picks up pickpocket Lily (Rachel Weisz) to fill in as the new shill, and is forced to take along King's muscle, Lupus (Franky G.), to keep an eye on things. A snag in the plans presents itself in the form of an FBI agent (Andy Garcia) from Jake's past who uses the corrupt cops for leverage in finally nailing him.
Exposition is the easily the movie's largest stumbling block, with annoying interruptions by Burns on his knees inexplicably recounting the entire story to his soon-to-be executioner. The voice overs are less distracting, but since "Heat" could deliver its maxims without the use of voice over, no movie should need it. Director James Foley is fortunate to have Doug Jung's popping dialogue to keeps things lively, and that the final twist at least pulls things back together. Anecdotal stories told by Giamatti to beef up the aura of The King's villainy also feel stale. These campfire tales are typical of the heist genre, and were done to much better effect in "Pulp Fiction" and "The Usual Suspects" (I have a particular soft spot for the buildup of Ben Kingsley's villain in "Sneakers"). We don't need to be told The King is dangerous - Hoffman delivers right away.
Hoffman's scenes are the highlights of the movie. His gum-chewing, personal space violations, and attention deficit/hyperactive disorder outbursts show that it doesn't take a six foot frame to get your point across. "Sometimes, Jake, style can get you killed." And yet, his crudeness is all style. Even his meathead thugs have their moments of lucidity and manners. In his club, he instructs two over-eager stripping sisters "You look like you're enjoying yourselves, but if you're gonna eat each other out, it's gotta have artistry - grace. The people in here have families!" If there's one thing that can hold King's attention, it's a beautiful woman. Here, Rachel Weisz fits the bill. She hardly seems believable as a clever and tough thief, but she sure can do sultry. Her one scene playing doctor with Hoffman gets the viewer's heart racing, for both the sexual and dangerous energy they give off. Burns and Weisz are hit and miss with their chemistry.
Burns does hold his own well, giving the most solid performance in the movie. He knows how to use his eyes for sly looks and quiet confidence, and though the voice is light, there's power enough behind it with good timing on his dialogue. Burns I think has been unfairly criticized for lacking some abstract ability to draw an audience. He doesn't exactly bust out of his quiet demeanor here, but the role is a good transition to stronger characters. I'm hoping Burns continues taking more aggressive roles like this one over those of his past laid back characters. All I can say for Andy Garcia's character is: be patient. His grizzled, cigar-chomping, hat & suspenders look at first comes across as a poorly overplayed Columbo imitation. Thankfully the plotline just barely redeems him in the end.
"Confidence" isn't a memorable addition to the heist genre, but as a building block for Burns, and an opportunity for Hoffman to have a little fun, it's worth a casual look.
"So I'm dead," begins Ed Burns' opening for his movie "Confidence." Normally the double-whammy of a voice over and story told through flashbacks of a dead man would signal a movie that's dead on arrival (okay, it worked for "American Beauty"). But don't bury this one quite yet, or you'd miss some decent performances by Burns and Dustin Hoffman.
