Film
THRlLLEH CONFIDENCE (15) 97min one
This confident entry into the con men genre (see The Sting, House of Games, etc) sees grifter Edward Burns playing a dangerous game with mob boss Dustin Hoffman. After a con backfires. Burns’ Jake Wg finds himself and his crew in debt to Hoffman's King. Rather than pay back the sleazy, psychotic King, the ice cool Vig makes him a dangerous proposition: they go into business together, with the mob boss funding a new con that will make everyone more money
than they'd dreamed of.
Too greedy for his own good and not a little impressed with Vig's brass balls, King goes along with the plan - but installs one of his goons in the crew to protect his investment. Vig then sets about briefing his team — which
includes Paul Giamatti's wily wise guy, Gordo,
and another newcomer, Rachel Weisz's gorgeous dame, Lily - on the ins and outs of the
new scam.
Confidence in spades
None of which can be gone into here without
spoiling the film’s twisty turny plot. As you'd expect, nothing is what it seems; everyone is potentially scheming a double cross. As is the way with these films. there’s much enjoyment to be had from ‘being had', as plot revelation follows plot revelation. The key to the success of these films. of course, is that they stay one step ahead of the audience. Written by Doug Jung
l . It (at 3.2 CEREBRAL DRAMA
SWIMMING POOL (15) 102min 0000
Prolific French director Francois Ozon makes his EllgllSh language debut. reunlttng With hrs muse from Under the Sand. Charlotte Rampling to Impressive effect. Here she rs cast as the middle-aged Sarah Morton. a British murder-mystery writer. who's strugglng wrth a creative block. She accepts the offer from her publisher (Charles Dance) of the use of hrs second home In Provence. In this rdyllrc setting She beglns work anew. only (Or her peace and duret to be wrecked by the appearance of her host's Wild-child French daughter Julie (Ludwnne Sagnter). Yet Sarah becomes intrigued by the antics and expenences of thrs hedonistic teenager, and funds her own writing being f8klll(“8d. Right from hlS chilling short. Regarde la Mer, Ozon has demonstrated a fascmatron wrth aduattc imagery. and here the eponymous Swunming pool serves as a metaphor fOr deswes
18 THE LIST 21 Aug—4 Sep 2003
play. Glengarry Glen Ross. Nice support, too. from the always watchable Luis Guzman as a corrupt cop. Robert Forster as the man with the money and Andy Garcia as a government man with an old score to settle.
(making his film debut), Confidence just about manages to do this with its hard-to-read poker- faced characters (especially Burns, who carries the film with a marvelloust modulated performance) and red herrings.
Director James Foley gives the film a smoky It‘s all about confidence. says Vig at one point. neo-noir ster suited to the milieu and it‘s This film‘s got it in spades. (Miles Fielder) reminiscent of his adaptation of David Mamet’s I 1' .~ ~ - . I " ~ ' . . x - '~ ' w :
«amass HOMICIDE (12A) 115mm .00
Rampling relinquishes repression
1‘2... .a-«w I” 1' ;;f ' ‘ . “1‘ .t. 2 ’ ’ Ca; ' Ls" r (3"~ .... ..: ('2': 0:.“ . t. s l' (g 1/ ' r r and temptations. Initially covered 31!?“ t"~': ;: by tarpaulin. and littered wrth ‘9' t' 9. leaves. It's slgnrflcanth first used 521;? "W; t%i,-}"': " " U". the blkrnl-clad Julie: she in H: I. .-.':>:.:: ES: ..-’;.5:' : turn is watched from the a'e: .i‘: a :;-'.-'-' 2 :-'- -" ' mndows by Sarah. who delays ace}; Tif,"r;°.::"'. . ' ;: ' " takrr‘g her own plunge Into the KC) " . . = r z t : : 2 now lrmpld waters. ":;:::,.:"°..."-’ ' SL‘.'/rrlrrl//)g Poo/ unfolds as a " ., ‘ ' ‘ character study of seemzng I t ' r I
opposites and rrvals. wuth Julie haung an knack of tapping; “to Sarah‘s illlXICIleS — 'You're a frustrated English wornan ‘.-.'.b:: writes about doing thlngs tattl‘ca‘. doing them.' she taunts. But :t also becomes an enrgmatc suspense drama. Ill ‘.'.'l'li(,‘" Ore" playfully blurs the lines betseer‘ fantasy and reality rn order to explore the nature of hrs own artISttC creatlvlty. And while Sagnler dazzles mth the SC‘XI'lUSES of her performance. tt's Rampling; who domlnates 1n portraying her Characters journey torn“ reoresson to lrberatron.
(Tom Dawson)
I GFT. Glasgow. Cameo. Edinburgh frOrn Fr; 22 Aug. 888 Fest/val F/lm feature page 58.
Moonlighting, murder and Motown