What are the best con artist films?
I’ve just spent a few days updating the films listed on Encyclopedia of Scams.
Do you agree with my ratings?
Which of the ‘unreviewed’ films should I see next?
What the hell is this film?
I have avoided listing films which main claim to the con artist world is a deceptive character based plot twist (E.g. Primal Fear, The Usual Suspects) or those who have a criminal character who is called a con artist without pulling any real cons. (e.g The Distinguished Gentleman, Bandits) or those with fictional or impractical scams (e.g. Ocean’s Eleven, Wag The Dog)
These are not all of the films that feature con artists, nor are they the best films but they all feature actual scams from the real world.
Our top five films (in no particular order) are:
The Sting
House of Games
Catch Me If You Can
Nine Queens
Paper Moon
21 (2008)
A group of MIT students learn to count cards and try to win at Vegas. Based on the non-fiction book Bringing Down The House. Criticized for straying too far from the true story and for replacing the almost entirely Asian characters with almost entirely white characters.
Our rating: 3.5 out of 5
A Big Hand For The Little Lady (1966)
A gambling movie about a small family in the old west who get sucked into a high stakes poker game. Features card playing and a long con. Watch closely and you’ll notice that no one actually cheats!
Our rating: 4 out of 5
Bedtime Story (1964)
The original Dirty Rotten Scoundrels starring Marlon Brando and David Niven. Features the Romance Scam with more focus on bedding women then making money from.
Our rating 2.5 out of 5.
Believe (2007)
A mockumentary about the world of multi-media marketing and pyramid schemes.
Our rating: unreviewed.
Blue Streak (1999)
Martin Lawrence plays a jewel thief who impersonates a police officer to get to his stash.
Our rating: 1 out of 5
Boiler Room (2000)
The inner workings of boiler room investment scam. Features the boiler room scam.
Our rating: 3.5 out of 5
The Brothers Bloom (2009)
This old fashioned caper about two con artist brothers is great fun. It also features the fresh idea of a con man wanting to go straight so he can live an ‘unwritten life.”
Our rating: 5 out of 5.
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Based on the life of Frank Abagnale, one of the greatest paper hangers of all time. Also the highest grossing con man moving ever!
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5
Colour Me Kubrick (2005)
An English con man pretends to be Stanley Kubrick for both status and money. Features the Impersonation scam. Our rating: 4 out of 5.
Colour of Money (1986)
While this sequel to The Hustler doesn’t live up to the original, it’s dark look at the seedy side of pool halls is still top cinema. 4 out of 5.
Confidence (2003)
Edward Burns plays a con man who cons the accountant of crime boss. He has to run a big store scam to get the money back. Our rating: 2 out of 5.
Conflict (1930)
A lumberjack and boxer is roped into a fixed boxing scam forcing him to choose between money and his friends. Features the fight store.
Our rating: 3 out of 5
Criminal (2003)
The American remake of Nine Queens. Features the Coin Collector Scam, Change Rising, Missing Change and Advance Fee Fraud.
Our rating: 4 out of 5
Diggstown (1992)
A con man bets a millionaire that a faded boxer can beat 24 boxers in 24 hours. Features the fight store.
Our rating 3 out of 5
Dirty Rotton Scoundrels (1988)
Steven Martin and Micheal Caine play con artists who compete to win the right to con in a small French town by seeing who can scam the most money out of a American tourist.. Features the romance scam.
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Dr Mabuse, der Spieler (1922)
An evil mastermind hypnotises his victims into giving him their money. Features stockmarket swindles and psychics .
Our Rating: 4 out of 5
Elmer Gantry (1960)
Elmer Gantry is a con man who teams up with a female preacher to sell religion to the masses.
Our rating: unreviewed
Flim Flam Man (1967)
A master con man takes a young army deserter under his wing and teaches him the tricks of the trade.
Our rating: 4 out of 5
F is for Fake (1974)
A semi fictional documentary about forger Elmyr De Hoyr. The final film of Orsan Wells.
Our rating: 5 out of 5
Freelance (1971)
Ian McShance, of Deadwood fame, plays a small time con artist who witnesses a mugging and ends up with a hitman on his tail. This is classic 70’s Brit noir in the same vein as Get Carter and the other Micheal Caine crime films of the same era.
Our rating: unreviewed
The Grand (2008)
Improvised comedy about a Las Vegas poker tournament. The storyline takes a back seat to comedians who quip their way through the competition. The ending of the film was determined by a real poker tournament played by the actors.
Our rating: unreviewed
The Grifters (1989)
Insurance fraud, dice games, race course, pump and dump, bar bets, cackle bladder. Bonus points for not falling into the usual “short con-short con- long con - twist” structure of most con artist films the co Loses points by having the mentor doing a bad card trick and calling it cheating.
Our rating: 3 out of 5
Heartbreakers (2001)
A mother and daughter con artist team scam lonely single men. Features the romance scam and the Free Lunch.
Our rating: 3 out of 5
House Of Games (1987)
A pyschologist helps a con artist discover the ‘tells’ in rival poker players. Features Card Cheating.
Our rating: 5 out of 5
Leap of Faith (1992)
Steve Martin plays a fake faith healer who travels the countryside, convincing people he can heal. Features scams used by Swamis.
Our rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Four friends get drawn in the crime underworld when their leader loses 250,000 pounds in a game of cards. Features Card Cheating and the sex toy scam.
Our rating: 4 out of 5
The Hoax (2007)
The true story of Clifford Irving, the man who tried to sell the reclusive Howard Hugh’s autobiography. Despite him never having written one.
Our rating: 2 out of 5.
Honky Tonk (1941)
Clark Gable plays a con man who reveals the three card monte to save his skin.
Our rating: Unreviewed
The Hustler (1961)
A young, up and coming hustler plays “Minnesota Fats” in a marathon pool game.
Our rating: 4.5 out of 5
It’s The Old Army Game (1923)
WC Fields plays a drugstore owner who unwittingly becomes a part of a bogus land deal scam. The poster for the film features WC Fields throwing monte.
Our rating: Unreviewed.
The Man With The Golden Arm (1955)
Frank Sinatra plays a heroin addict who tries to go straight and become a drummer. However, his skills as a card cheat lead his formal associates to try and drag him back in. Features Card Cheating.
Our rating: 4 out of 5.
Matchstick Men (2003)
A daughter meets her con artist father for the first time and is drawn into his world. Features the Lottery Ticket Scam, Bank Examiner and Advance Fee Fraud.
Our rating: 4 out of 5
Maverick (1994)
A card cheat crosses paths and swords with a con woman and a law enforcement officer. Features Card Cheating and Police Impersonators.
Our rating: 5 out of 5 (don’t ask me why, I just love this movie)
Mississippi Gambler (1953)
A professional gambler takes on a professional at three card monte.
Our rating: unreviewed
Mo Money (1992)
Damon Waynes plays a con man who ‘goes straight’ to impress a girl but ends up in a stolen credit card scam.
Our rating: 2.5 out of 5
The Music Man (1962)
A travelling con man tries to swindle the people of a small Iowa town into funding a non-existant marching band.
Our rating: unreviewed
The Music Man (2003)
A 2003 remake of the 1962 film.
Our rating: 1.5 out of 5
My Chauffeur (1986)
Magicians Penn and Teller play con man and victim in this short comedy about three card monte.
Our rating: Unreviewed
Ocean’s Thirteen (2007)
Danny Ocean and his team finally pull some real scams as they rigged dice games, card games and poker machines in a casino.
Our rating: 2.5 out of 5.
Nine Queens (2000)
A master con man takes a young man under his wing to teach him the tricks of the trade against the backdrop of Argentina’s economic struggles. Features the Coin Collector Scam, Change Rising, Missing Change and Advance Fee.
Our rating: 5 out of 5
The Old Army Game (1943)
Cartoon short in which Donald Duck goes AWOL from the army. He hides one of three three boxes from his commanding officer in a parody of the shell game. The Old Army Game is another name for the Shell Game.
Our rating: 3 out of 5
Paper Moon (1973)
A con man and his daughter travel through depression era America. Features the Delivery Man, Change Rising and Missing Change.
Our rating: 5 out of 5
The Past Is A Foreign Land (2009)
A law student gets mixed up with a card cheat in this darker Italian thriller. The card cheating ’skills’ are more akin to magic tricks but the psychology of the cheat and the psychopathic desire for ‘control’ make this film a cut above the rest.
Our Rating: 4 out of 5
The Prime Gig (2000)
Vince Vaughn plays a con artist who gets into trouble when he sleeps with his partner’s girlfriend.
Our rating: unreviewed
The Producers (1968)
A theatre producer and accountant try to swindle investors out of money by producing a flop.
Our rating: 3.5 out of 5
The Producers (2007)
A theatre producer and accountant try to swindle investors out of money by producing a flop….and it’s a musical!
Our rating: 1.5 out of 5
The Rainmaker (1956)
A charming con man convinces the residents of a small town he can make it rain…for $100. Features advance fee fraud.
Our rating: unreviewed
Rainman (1988)
A car salesman and his autistic but mathematically genius brother travel cross country. Along the way, they hustle a casino by using Raymond’s math skills to count cards.
Our rating: 4 out of 5
Rounders (1998)
A poker player and his friend, a poker cheat, try to pay off a big debt by a mixture of good poker and good cheating. Features Card Cheating.
Our rating: 4 out of 5
Skin Game (1971)
Two con men play the roles of slave owner and slave. The slave is ’sold’ only to escape and return to the ’slave owner’ where the split the money. Features the coin collector scam.
Our rating: unreviewed
Shade (2003)
A group of card cheats get together to take down the best card cheat in the world. Features card cheating, big store, crossed deck and the Old Fiddle.
Our rating: 3 out of 5
Shell Game (1975)
The pilot for a TV show that was never picked up, Shell Game is classic con artist story filled with long cons, gold mine swindles and the shell game of the title.
Our rating: 2 out of 5
Shooting Fish (1997)
Two con artists find their unethical lives are thrown in disarray by a beautiful woman. Features Coin Collector Scam, Lightbulb Salesman Counterfeit Money .
Our rating: 2.5 out of 5
Six Degrees of Seperation (1994)
Will Smith plays a con artist who impersonates Sidney Poiter’s son in order to gain access to a rich New York family. 4 out of 5
Sidekicks (1976)
A remake of Skin Game.
Our rating: 2 out of 5
Simpatico (1999)
Three con artists make a bundle by swapping top race horses for bad ones, cleaning up with big bets on the long odds. 20 years later, their past catches up with them.
Our rating: 2 out 5.
Spanish Prisoner (1997)
David Mamet’s study of a victim of the classic Advance Fee Fraud. While the premise of the Spanish Prisoner makes up the lion share of the plot, the execution is a little unbelievable.
Our rating: 3 out of 5
The Sting (1973)
A con man seeks revenge for the death of his friend by teaming up with a master scammer in a classic long con. Features the Pigeon Drop, Card Cheating and the Big Store.
Our rating: 5 out of 5
The Sting 2 (1983)
The sequel to the original film with new actors in the lead roles. Set in the world of boxing.
Our rating: 1 out of 5.
The Super (1991)
An average film about a landlord forced to live in one of his slums. Features the best depiction of three card monte ever featured in a film
Our rating: 2.5 or 5 out of 5
The Talented Mr Ripley (2001)
Matt Damon plays an amoral con artist who pretends to be a school friend of a rich man’s son.
Our rating: 4 out of 5
Traveller (1997)
Bill Paxton and Mark Wahlberg play nomadic con artists in South Carolina
Our rating: unreviewed
White Men Can’t Jump (1993)
Woody Harrelson and Wesly Snipes play a pair of con artists who hustle money on the LA street courts. Features a version of the crossed deck with basketball! Our rating 3 out of 5
The Music Man is a great con man movie.
I assume you mean the original…the remake is rubbish.
My vote and the support is for The Music Man, The sting and Paper Moon.
Thank you for sharing this information post and I really like it too much.
I just watched The Hustler, based on your recommendation (and that I enjoyed The Colour of Money.)
Meh. It didn’t hook me, I am afraid.
I’m surprised.
What didn’t you like?