Character Relationship Map: Confidence

Characters

• Jake Vig (played by Edward Burns) — protagonist

  De facto leader of a con artist group. Orchestrates a complex scheme to steal five million dollars from a rival bank owner under the guise of working for a local crime boss. Fakes his own death at the...

• Lily (played by Rachel Weisz) — protagonist

  Independent con artist recruited to complete the crew. Fakes walking out to feed false information to the rival, serving as a crucial decoy in the multi-layered scheme. Ultimately reveals her complici...

• Gunther Butan (played by Andy Garcia) — supporting

  Federal agent who appears to be hunting Jake, but is secretly an old confidant. Orchestrates the arrest of the local crime boss and confiscates the stolen funds as part of the grift. His apparent betr...

• Gordo (played by Paul Giamatti) — supporting

  Jake's longtime partner and the grift's financial handler. Receives the stolen funds offshore and transports them to an airport, deliberately placing himself in the crossfire of federal and criminal f...

• Morgan Price (played by Robert Forster) — supporting
• Travis (played by Morris Chestnut) — supporting

  Loyal henchman working for a rival crime boss. Dispatched to intercept the grifters and dismantle the scheme. Shoots a group enforcer during a confrontation and escorts Jake for interrogation, only to...

• Manzano (played by Luis Guzmán) — supporting

  Corrupt LAPD detective initially aligned with the grifters. Coerced by a federal agent to abandon the crew and assist authorities. Unwittingly compromised in the scheme and arrested alongside his part...

• Winston King (played by Dustin Hoffman) — supporting

  Ruthless local crime boss whose stolen funds trigger the main plot. Forces the grifters to steal from his rival under threat of torture. Unwittingly serves as the primary mark in the elaborate multi-l...

• Big Al (played by Louis Lombardi) — minor
• Miles (played by Brian Van Holt) — supporting

  Jake's loyal partner and a core member of the con artist crew. Helps execute the deception against a crime boss and a rival bank owner. Reunites with the group at the end to celebrate their successful...

• Whitworth (played by Donal Logue) — supporting

  Corrupt LAPD detective partnered with Manzano. Forced to switch loyalty from the grifters to a federal agent upon the latter's arrival. Ultimately arrested alongside his partner, having been outplayed...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Gunther Butan → Whitworth (Power Coercer And Subject) — Whitworth is compelled to follow Butan's demands.

  Butan forces Whitworth, alongside Manzano, to abandon the grifters and assist the authorities.

• Gunther Butan → Manzano (Power Coercer And Subject) — Butan uses federal authority and pressure to control Manzano's actions.

  Butan forces Manzano to switch allegiance from Jake and assist him after arriving in Los Angeles.

• Manzano → Whitworth (Professional Police Partners) — They function as a corrupt detective partnership.

  Manzano and Whitworth are described as corrupt LAPD detectives working together. Both are ultimately arrested after being outplayed.

• Morgan Price → Travis (Professional Employer And Henchman) — Travis carries out Price's orders against Jake.

  Travis is described as a henchman for Morgan Price. Price tells Travis to locate Jake, learn how the con worked, and prevent its repetition.

• Jake Vig → Whitworth (Professional Corrupt Contact) — Whitworth is another corrupt police contact caught in Jake's operation.

  Whitworth is partnered with Manzano and initially supports the grifters, but is forced by Butan to assist the authorities instead.

• Jake Vig → Manzano (Professional Corrupt Contact) — Manzano provides compromised law-enforcement involvement around Jake's scheme.

  Manzano is initially aligned with Jake's operation as a corrupt LAPD detective, before Butan forces him to switch allegiance.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Winston King → Big Al (Conflict Victim And Killer) — Big Al's death is the violent consequence that exposes King's involvement.

  Big Al is found shot to death after the grifters steal money belonging to King. The plot establishes that King's criminal operation is the source of t...

• Winston King → Morgan Price (Conflict Crime Rivals) — The operation is built around the rivalry between King and Price.

  King is a Los Angeles crime lord whose money was stolen, while Price is identified as the rival bank owner targeted by the forced con.

• Winston King → Gunther Butan (Conflict Arresting Adversaries) — Butan converts King's criminal pursuit into a federal arrest.

  Butan arrives at Ontario Airport, arrests King, and confiscates the five million dollars.

• Gordo → Winston King (Conflict Money Adversaries) — Gordo serves as the visible carrier of money King believes he can recover.

  Gordo carries the five million dollars to the airport while King's men arrive seeking the same duffel bag.

• Gordo → Gunther Butan (Alliance Operational Collaborators) — Gordo and Butan coordinate the apparent seizure that completes the payout scheme.

  Gordo deliberately takes the five million dollars to Ontario Airport, where Butan confiscates the money as part of the staged arrest of King.

• Lily → Gunther Butan (Alliance Secret Ally) — Lily's deception operates within the same hidden arrangement as Butan's intervention.

  The final explanation states that everyone except the marks and the corrupt detectives was involved in the larger setup, while Butan arrives to comple...

• Lily → Travis (Alliance Temporary Collaborators) — They briefly appear aligned during the staged attack on Jake.

  At the abandoned lot, Lily shoots Jake, and Travis then orders both Lily and himself to disappear immediately.

• Lily → Morgan Price (Narrative Deceptive Informant) — Lily feeds Price information while secretly serving Jake's plan.

  After appearing to quit, Lily goes to Price and reveals the entire con. The final revelation shows that her disclosure was part of the planned decepti...

• Jake Vig → Travis (Conflict Interrogation Opponent) — Travis temporarily captures and interrogates Jake on behalf of Price.

  Travis takes Jake to an abandoned lot and forces him to explain how the con was engineered.

Story Analysis

A professional con artist turns apparent danger, betrayal, and arrest into a layered scheme that deceives every major mark.

Plot Progression

1. The Mark Turns Dangerous — Jake's crew completes a con, but Big Al is found dead. The survivors discover that they stole from Winston King and must confront the consequences.
2. A Deal With the King — Jake proposes robbing Morgan Price's bank to satisfy King. He rebuilds the crew by recruiting Lily and prepares an offshore transfer scheme.
3. The Plan Nearly Collapses — Butan arrives and forces the corrupt detectives to change sides. Jake cancels the con, but renewed threats push him to restart it without Lily's apparent participation.
4. The Airport Double Cross — The bank transfer reaches Gordo in Belize and moves to Ontario Airport. Butan arrests King and confiscates the money while Gordo disappears.
5. The Hidden Con Revealed — Price uses Lily's apparent disclosure to send Travis after Jake. Lily's shooting of Jake and Butan's arrival are revealed as parts of a staged final con.