More than a simple con

There is always a worry whenever a movie is previewed two months before its general release date.

Even a stellar cast including Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia, Ed Burns and Rachel Weisz does little to ease any concerns the movie could be a dud.

Thankfully these fears are swiftly abandoned as the audience is sucked in to an infectious and intriguing tale.

Burns plays Jake, the unofficial leader and co-ordinator of a series of cons, who employ a number of cunning and sly tricks on a myriad of villainous victims.

However one of their cons goes a little awry and they unwittingly rip off the accountant of notorious crime boss King (Hoffman). In an attempt to quell his anger and save his life Jake offer King a cut of his biggest ever con.

As predictable as Alastair Campbell’s spin on all things political, nothing goes to plan and there are a myriad of interesting twists and turns.

Not only does Jake have to worry about almost certain death if he doesn’t get King his cut, he has to deal with his own paranoia, two corrupt police officers and a determined FBI agent Gunthar Butan (Andy Garcia) who will not stop until he gets his man.

But as he and the others soon discover Jake is a lot more streetwise and clued up than any of them have ever given him credit for.

Despite sounding like so many other movies it is the outstanding performance from Burns as the cocksure and cool con artist, which makes this film so watchable.

His ability to play the perfect anti-hero rapidly wins over the audience’s hearts and has you rooting for him to succeed in his cheeky plots.

He is suitably complimented by a fine performance from the underrated Rachel Weisz, who uses her beauty and intellect to confuse even the most predictable of plots, and the shabby looking Hoffman who helps make this movie a satisfying watch.

Confidence
Cert: cert15