Girls of Geek Movie Review: Confidence

Written by Scotty

How are so many people around the world able to get what they want, even if they do not deserve it?  One word, Confidence.  Having confidence is something that we should all be able to show, but for many of us, we are afraid of what could happen, rather than what is happening for us right now.  To show that you believe in what you are doing or saying can be difficult, but once you are able to do so, different doors will open for you that you never expected.

Jake Vig is good at what he does for no other reason than he believes in what he is doing.  Being a con man, it is important that he does so.  Having to make his marks believe in every word that comes out of his mouth is the only way he can make a living and with a crew of professionals, Jake is nothing but the best at what he does.  Making sure that he does not stay in one place too long to get figured out by the locals has worked well for Jake in the past, but when he fleeces one of the top independents in town, Jake’s life is about to change.

After being caught stealing from The King, Jake is forced to clear his slate by working a con against the town’s most powerful mob lawyer.  Having to come up with a con that will put himself and his team in the clear, Jake is forced to add a couple of new members to his crew and put trust in people he normally would not.  With one of the King’s men on his payroll and picking up a young, attractive pickpocket from a club, Jake has his new team in place and is ready to pull the job of a lifetime. 

With his plan and team in place, Jake is ready to pull the trigger on the job, but when his ego gets too big, he is faced with not only having to pull his job, but to do it against his crew that knows the ins and outs of the con.  With having a couple of local cops on his payroll, Jake knows he can be protected for a time, but when his new mark finds out what he is up to, he employs a new money body guard that can work outside the law and bring Jake to his knees.  Jake is forced to tell his story to this bounty hunter and come clean, but the only thing that the he really wants, is to know where the money is.  If Jake cannot provide it, he will be another con artist that is found dead in the gutter. 

Confidence follows expert con artist Jake Vig as he is only trying to make a buck, but finds that he has stolen from the wrong man.  Jake is forced to take a job that he normally would pass on to clean his slate with The King and has to come up with a way to pull the job of a lifetime.  Having The King looking over his shoulder along with a customs agent that is looking for revenge, Jake has to pull out all of the stops and bring a bigger team together to make sure the job will go off without a hitch.  When his team starts to fall apart however, Jake has more than just The King, his new mark and a custom agent trying to stop him, but his own team member that is looking for a percentage that she is about to lose out on.

I cannot lie, this is one of my favorite movies and find myself watching it more often than not.  With a great cast and a strong storyline, this movie brings more emotion to the screen than anyone could have ever expected.  With Dustin Hoffman playing the notorious King who has ADHD and does not pull any punches as he tries to coach young Jake Vig in pulling off the con of a lifetime.  There are more than enough one liners in this movie to make this a memorable movie, but if the opening scene does not capture you, you will not understand what is about to happen as the movie progresses.  It may be a little old, but it does not disappoint and should be watched by anyone that enjoys a good story, along with those who need to find a way to act confident.  Happy viewing.

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