Sometimes, Jake, style can get you killed.

Confidence is one of those nice, tidy, self contained movies about criminals running a scam. It doesn't really have a lot to say about anything or anyone outside of the sandbox it plays in. It doesn't attempt to have any lasting impact at all. The only thing it tries to be is smart and a fun ride.

I thought it succeded admirably at those goals. It was smart. The characters are smart - all of them. Sure, the protagonists are smarter, that's kind of the whole point. (Side note: it's kind of hard to call them protagonists, since they are crooks and all, but the movie treats them like protagonists.) It ends up being very much like Heist or The Score - smart, well acted, and self contained.

There's a litte bit of stuff about how you can or can't trust people you do crimes with - especially as it relates to a tightnit crew. But the whole concept of smart, talented, tight-knit crews of professional criminals just seems like it lives too much in movie fantasy land. The risks are too high for people with that much talent - and they could get similar rewards without crime. (Note: anyone who can point me to real life stories of criminal groups like this, I'd be very interested to be proven wrong.)

That said, it's a fun ride, for those of us that like this kind of ride.

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