Confidence

Competent crime thriller about a gang of grifters pulling a big con in order to repay a crime boss for $100,000 they accidentally stole from him. The con is layered like an onion, and it leaves you guessing all the way to the end about who is playing whom. It has bags of style, but not enough substance to make it into a classic. (It’s not in the same league as The Grifters or The Sting.) Ed Burns looks cool, but lacks depth. Ditto Rachel Weisz. The only convincing characters are Paul Giamatti as Gordo (one of the gang), and Dustin Hoffman as The King (the crime boss). Hoffman is the prize: his hyperactive kingpin appears harmless enough, but turns dangerous and creepy in an eyeblink. His part is small, but it leaves the biggest impression.