MPAA Rating: for language, violence and sexuality/nudity.

Producer’s Synopsis: This is the story of a con man (Burns) whose latest scam puts him in debt with the mafia, when it turns out that his victim, an accountant, is a "mob" accountant, leading the kingpin (Hoffman) to assign an enforcer to shadow his every move, even as the con man and his crew work to pull off another scam for the mob to pay off the debt completely before they come collecting.

Starring: Edward Burns, Andy Garcia, Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Weisz | Directed by: James Foley | Produced by: Michael Paseornek, Michael Ohoven, Michael Burns | Written by: Doug Jung | Distributor: Lions Gate Films

Neutral - This film could have been a lot better. However, it could have been a lot worse. This is a very tricky genre to work within (that being the whole con man/big heist genre), in that one has come to expect colorful characters, very stylistic directing, and a number of clever plot twists. Well, this movie halfway delivers on all of those. Almost every supporting character in this film is memorable and, even in the instance of the villains, extremely likable. The standouts are Andy Garcia (who has a good future ahead of him as a character actor) and, of course, Dustin Hoffman (who we really should have seen a lot more of). However, the lead, played by Edward Burns, is fairly forgettable. It's enough to make one long for the days of Bogart and Cagney (heck, I would've settled for a Gibson or Clooney). Rachel Weisz's character, whose purpose is to act as a femme fatale of sorts, often comes off as more of a hindrance to the film. The film is very well directed. Jam es Foley, who directed Glengarry Glen Ross with a great deal of flair, employs a number of the same techniques with this film. Lighting the film with very hard greens, yellows, reds, and blues, the film does have a very film noir feel to it. At the very least, the film is very pleasant to look at. The story could've used some work, though. In this sort of film, the caper has to be just as compelling as the characters pulling it off, not to mention extremely difficult. The heist in this film goes off pretty much without a hitch, and we get the feeling that these characters could've pulled it off in their sleep. Overall, though, the film isn't too bad. There is some pervasive language, violence, and sex, but it's all done very stylistically, and not as in-your-face as some films. It's a very watchable movie, but with so many other great crime movies out there, it should be fairly low on the list of films to watch.
My Ratings: [Average / 3]
—Tyler Smith, age 21