Underrated Gem: Confidence (2003)

Plot: In this glossy neo-noir caper, expert grifter Jake Vig (Edward Burns) inadvertently crosses volatile crime boss the King (Dustin Hoffman) and, to make it right, he must agree to con banker Morgan Price (Robert Forster). He assembles his team, including Lily (Rachel Weisz) and Gordo (Paul Giamatti), but things get complicated fast with the arrival of Special Agent Gunther Butan (Andy Garcia), who has been tracking Jake for years. As the con goes down, Jake can’t say who’s double crossing whom.

Jake Vig is a consummate grifter about to pull his biggest con yet, one set to avenge his friend’s murder. But his last scam backfired, leaving him indebted to a mob boss and his enforcer.

Confidence is one of the crime thrillers that I’ve found to be often overlooked especially when it was first released.

It manages to boast an impressive cast who are mostly utilized well in particular Edward Burns, Rachel Weisz, and Dustin Hoffman who’s having a lot of fun with this role.

Now, I do acknowledge that is one of those Tarantino-inspired films but to me, this is one of the better ones as the writing here comes across as less forced compared to those.

James Foley directs this with enough style without making it feel too kinetic unlike how some directors would do at that time.

Overall, Confidence is one that I’ve found to be quite underrated and has a good cast, moves along at a steady pace, has an intriguing story, and is well-directed.