‘Identity’ rather unremarkable

If there’s one thing Hollywood has taught us all, it’s not to stray

far from the pack when there’s a homicidal maniac on a killing spree.

In “Identity,” travelers find themselves sharing a seedy desert motel

with a mass murderer. Was it just the AAA discount that drew everyone

to the same motel, or are their supernatural forces at play? It’s not

that this movie is so bad that the answer is “who cares?” but it’s

questionable whether it’s really worth $9.50 to solve this mystery.

“Identity” had terrific potential as a suspense thriller, but

unfortunately the script takes too many shortcuts. It’s difficult to

describe the fatal flaws in this movie without doing spoilers, but I

left the theater feeling like it was a script that wasn’t quite

finished when it was taken to production. The movie takes a

deliberate twist into unreality, which would give it a Twilight

Zone-like flavor if the result had been more satisfying. In the end

we see that the unreal elements aren’t really necessary to advance

the story, but were merely an easy way to conceal information and try

to preserve the mystery. I felt shortchanged and cheated by some plot

devices that ruin what was otherwise an interesting movie.

The opening line for “Identity’s” script is, “it was a dark and

stormy night ...” A series of seemingly unrelated occurrences bring

together an aging movie star and her limo driver, a family of three

with a young son, a pair of newlyweds, a fiscally responsible

prostitute and a police officer transporting a mass murderer. When

all the roads become blocked by raging flood waters, the group is

forced to stay in the same motel.

John Cusack plays the limo driver who is actually a police officer

on disability leave. He’s the good cop to Ray Liotta’s bad cop.

Liotta plays yet another police officer with anger management issues.

It’s time for him to find a new persona.

Overall, the cast in this movie are really great. John C. McGinley

(from the TV show “Scrubs”) is a standout. He plays a stepfather who

seems too fragile to protect himself, but musters up the emotional

strength to try make his stepson feel secure.

The only disappointment for me is Amanda Peet as the prostitute.

It’s not that Peet’s performance was lacking, it’s more that I’m

tired of the Hollywood cliche that prostitutes are just

happy-go-lucky fashion models who have sex more often than most

people. Maybe if one of these screenwriters actually talked to a real

prostitute he’d learn that people who sell their sexuality destroy

their ability to feel emotional intimacy.

“Identity” is a B-movie that should have been a much better movie.

The story is imaginative, but it doesn’t live up to its potential. My

recommendation is to wait for this one to go to video. I’m a big fan

of Cusack, and for me this movie was a disappointment. “Identity”

isn’t an awful movie, but there’s nothing really special about it.

* JIM ERWIN, 40, is a technical writer and computer trainer.

‘Confidence’ an enjoyable flic

“Confidence,” as the name implies, is all about con men. Believing

fully that a fool and his money are soon parted, con men embody a

fiscal Darwinism of sorts.

“Confidence” follows a few days in the life of Jake Vig. Jake

(Edward Burns) is handsome, smooth talking, and has a gift for

bringing out the shady side of just about everyone. Jake’s latest

modus operandi is to convince his desperate victims to steal money to

finance a one-time “can’t-miss” score. The only trouble is things go

horribly wrong; someone gets shot and the cops show up, just as all

hell breaks loose. When this happens, the “mark” can only think about

running and completely forgets about the money. Of course the real

con is that Jake has planned this drama with theatrical precision

complete with fake blood and paid-off cops.

Unfortunately, Jake’s latest victim turns out to be a bagman for a

ruthless gangster. Before Jake realizes who he’s ripped off, one of

his accomplices is dead. The gangster, King (Dustin Hoffman), has a

reputation for doggedly seeking vengeance for the slightest

infraction. Realizing it is futile to run, Jake convinces King to

partner on a lucrative scam, ostensibly to pay him back.

I’m always complaining about lame plots and screenplays, and this

picture doesn’t really suffer from those maladies. However,

“Confidence” perhaps tries a little too hard to incorporate every

plot device ever invented for this genre. For instance, the main

character’s name “Vig” is the slang term for “vigorish,” which every

gambler knows is the fee the house or a bookie takes off the top of

every bet.

That’s not to say “Confidence” isn’t entertaining. Although the

plot twists are so numerous you can’t help but feel a bit

manipulated, most are surprising enough to keep your interest. Los

Angeles serves as a backdrop for the story and the film utilizes many

recognizable locales.

There are several noteworthy performances, especially Hoffman’s

King, a frightening twitchy control freak claiming to suffer from

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This performance is the

flip side of Hoffman’s role in “Rain Man.” King is far from harmless

and his unpredictability and absolute relish for employing violence

creates an air of foreboding each time he appears on screen.

Paul Giamatti as Gordo, one of Jake’s crew, is a scene-stealer of

the first order. Giamatti is a rarity in today’s films, a character

actor of the old school playing one memorable role after another.

Andy Garcia does a nice turn as a federal agent obsessed with Vig.

Also worth mentioning is Rachel Weisz, who ably plays the femme

fatale displaying the moxie and smoldering beauty appropriate to the

part.

Although there have been better studies of con men (David Mamet’s

“House of Games” comes to mind), “Confidence” is an enjoyable

diversion. Perhaps this modern day effort with contemporary stars

such as Burns and Weisz will prompt a new generation to explore the

many fine films in this genre.

* VAN NOVACK, 48, is the director of institutional research at Cal

State Long Beach.