By BETH JONES
THE ROANOKE TIMES

Archives Reprint

   Screenwriter Doug Jung strings together one recycled plot twist after another in "Confidence," a generic grifter tale that's only palatable because of Dustin Hoffman - who's too good to have signed on to this mediocre movie.

    "Confidence" begins with con man Jake Vig (Ed Burns) having a gun put to his head, and we get our first taste of Jung's laughably cliched dialogue. "So I'm dead," Vig tell us. "And I think it's because of this red head."

    To show us how Vig ended up in such a mess, Jung ( whose resume includes a couple of television shows) takes the tired flashback route which slows down the pace of what should have been a fast-moving caper.

    Vig and his grifter homies get into trouble when one of their scams backfires and they find themselves indebted to wacky mob boss King (Hoffman).

    King has nothing in common with Tony Soprano. He's a little on the wimpy side, with a tacky '80s haircut. He flirts with Vig while watching a pair of stripping sisters. He takes Ritalin but is still so hyper he practically shakes.

    Vig still takes eccentric King seriously. To make things right between them, Vig promises to cut King in on his next scam - his biggest yet.

    He recruits sexy pickpocket Lily (Rachel Weisz) to get the job done. She's referred to as a "skirt" and a "Sheila."

    Vig falls for her, of course. They have a heavy make-out session, but afterward he seems to lose interest, saying "You're like a stray dog who wandered into my house one day for a belly rub."

    Things get tricky when a federal agent appears on the scene. One grifter explains, "He's going to be all over us like white on rice."

    Burns knows how to do the smooth-talking thing and cuts a figure in a suit, but his monotone delivery serves him better as a supporting character. His blandness is especially noticeable whenever he's onscreen with Hoffman, who takes a hum-drum character to weirdville and ends up stealing the show.

    It's hard to understand why top actors like Andy Garcia, Luis Guzman and Morris Chestnut were recruited for the movie. They're never given much to do.

    Director James Foley ("Glengarry Glen Ross") may surprise some with his ending, but we've seen similar twists a hundred times before. Coasting on Hoffman's considerable charm, "Confidence" isn't a total snooze. But, unless you're a major fan of the "Tootsie" star, there's no reason to rush to the theater.

    Confidence

    HH

    At Carmike 10 at Tanglewood Mall and Valley View Grande 16. Rated R for language, violence, sex and nudity. One hour, 38 minutes.

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