If You Love Con Games...
This does not include movies falling under the category of burglary, hold-ups, safecracking and things of the like. This is strictly a list of films about confidence graft or scams.
Also to be noted: This is not a best-of list. There are great, good and bad selections here, but if you're a fan of movies about grifters and swindles, you may feel compelled to check them out for yourself regardless of my opinion.
Also to be noted: This is not a best-of list. There are great, good and bad selections here, but if you're a fan of movies about grifters and swindles, you may feel compelled to check them out for yourself regardless of my opinion.
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- DirectorMaurice PhillipsStarsRichard PryorGene WilderMercedes RuehlA mental out-patient is mistaken for a missing wealthy man and a con man takes advantage of the situation.
- DirectorCurtis HansonStarsRob LoweJames SpaderPalmer Lee ToddA soft and hesitant young man is in danger when he tries to break toxic relationships with a mysterious stranger claiming to be his friend.
- DirectorBen YoungerStarsGiovanni RibisiVin DieselNia LongA college dropout, attempting to live up to his father's high standards, gets a job as a broker for a suburban investment firm which puts him on the fast track to success. But the job might not be as legitimate as it first appeared to be.
- DirectorRian JohnsonStarsRachel WeiszAdrien BrodyMark RuffaloThe Brothers Bloom are the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. Now they've decided to take on one last job - showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress the time of her life with a romantic adventure that takes them around the world.
- DirectorOz ScottMichael SchultzStarsRichard PryorCicely TysonAngel Ramirez Jr.Failed parolee Joe Braxton has one last shot at redemption: by driving school kids from Philadelphia to Washington State.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsLeonardo DiCaprioTom HanksChristopher WalkenBarely 17 yet, Frank is a skilled forger who has passed as a doctor, lawyer and pilot. FBI agent Carl becomes obsessed with tracking down the con man, who only revels in the pursuit.
- DirectorRobert StevensStarsAlfred HitchcockPatricia CollingeDarren McGavinWhen Lyle Endicott is fired from his job at an art museum, he comes up with a plan to take advantage of a trusting invalid whom he befriended at the museum.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsPaul NewmanTom CruiseMary Elizabeth MastrantonioFast Eddie Felson teaches a cocky but immensely talented protégé the ropes of pool hustling, which in turn inspires him to make an unlikely comeback.
- DirectorJames FoleyStarsEdward BurnsDustin HoffmanRachel WeiszJake Vig is a consummate grifter about to pull his biggest con yet, one set to avenge his friend's murder. But his last scam backfired, leaving him indebted to a mob boss and his enforcer.
- DirectorWayne KramerStarsWilliam H. MacyMaria BelloAlec BaldwinIn an old school Las Vegas casino, its top gambling jinx breaks his curse when he falls in love, much to his boss' consternation.
- DirectorGregory JacobsStarsJohn C. ReillyDiego LunaMaggie GyllenhaalTwo con artists try to swindle a currency collector by selling him a counterfeit copy of an extremely rare currency bill.
- DirectorBernard GirardStarsJames CoburnCamilla SparvAldo RayA paroled conman co-ordinates the robbery of an L. A. Airport bank with the arrival of the Soviet premier.
- DirectorFrank OzStarsSteve MartinMichael CaineGlenne HeadlyTwo con men try to settle their rivalry by betting on who can swindle a young American heiress out of fifty thousand dollars first.
- DirectorJonathan LynnStarsEddie MurphyLane SmithSheryl Lee RalphA conman discovers during a "job" that US Congress is where the money is. "Name recognition" gets him elected. Will he develop a conscience?
- DirectorDanny DeVitoStarsBen StillerDrew BarrymoreEileen EssellA young couple has a chance to move into a gorgeous duplex in the perfect New York neighborhood. All they have to do is bump off the current tenant, a cute little old lady.
- DirectorTony GilroyStarsJulia RobertsClive OwenTom WilkinsonTwo ex-government agents turned rival industrial spies have to be at the top of their game when one of their companies prepares to launch a major product. However, they distract each other in more ways than one.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsJohn BeardTim BeldenBarbara BoxerA documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.
- DirectorIrvin KershnerStarsGeorge C. ScottSue LyonHarry MorganA rural con artist and an army deserter cheat the townsfolk and are aided by a rich gal who shields the fleeing duo from the wrath of the pursuing sheriff.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsJack LemmonWalter MatthauRon RichA crooked lawyer persuades his brother-in-law to feign a serious injury.
- DirectorRonald NeameStarsShirley MacLaineMichael CaineHerbert LomAn English cat burglar needs a Eurasian dancer's help to pull off the perfect heist, but even the most foolproof schemes have a way of backfiring.
- DirectorStephen FrearsStarsAnjelica HustonJohn CusackAnnette BeningA small-time conman has torn loyalties between his estranged mother and new girlfriend, both of whom are high-stakes grifters with their own angles to play.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsRichard GereAlfred MolinaDavid Aaron BakerIn what would cause a fantastic media frenzy, Clifford Irving sells his bogus biography of Howard Hughes to a premiere publishing house in the early 1970s.
- DirectorDavid MametStarsLindsay CrouseJoe MantegnaMike NussbaumA psychiatrist comes to the aid of a compulsive gambler and is led by a smooth-talking grifter into the shadowy but compelling world of stings, scams, and con men.
- DirectorFrank OzStarsSteve MartinGoldie HawnDana DelanyCon artist Gwen moves into Newton's empty home without his knowledge and begins setting up house, posing as his new wife.
- CreatorTony JordanStarsRobert GlenisterRobert VaughnRob JarvisA motley group of London con artists pulls off a series of daring and intricate stings.
- DirectorHarold RamisStarsJohn CusackBilly Bob ThorntonConnie NielsenA shady lawyer attempts a Christmas Eve crime, hoping to swindle the local mob out of some money. But his partner, a strip club owner, might have different plans for the cash.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsPam GrierSamuel L. JacksonRobert ForsterA flight attendant with a criminal past gets nabbed by the ATF for smuggling. Under pressure to become an informant against the illegal arms dealer she works for, she must find a way to secure her future without getting killed.
- DirectorRichard WenkStarsAndy GarciaAndie MacDowellRichard BradfordA ticket scalper wants to make one last big deal on the pope's visit to finally do something worthwhile about his relationship.
- DirectorJohn DahlStarsVal KilmerJoanne WhalleyPat MulliganA young detective becomes involved with a beautiful woman on the run from the mob and her psychopath boyfriend.
- DirectorJohn DahlStarsLinda FiorentinoPeter BergBill PullmanA devious sexpot steals her husband's drug money and hides out in a small town where she meets the perfect dupe for her next scheme.
- DirectorSidney PoitierStarsSidney PoitierBill CosbyCalvin LockhartTwo Atlanta men raise funds for their charity by rigging boxing matches in New Orleans, but their tricks attract the mob's attention.
- DirectorNora EphronStarsJohn TravoltaLisa KudrowTim RothA television weatherman scams a local lottery.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsNicolas CageAlison LohmanSam RockwellA phobic con artist and his protégé are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the former's teenage daughter arrives unexpectedly.
- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsMel GibsonJodie FosterJames GarnerBret Maverick, needing money for a poker tournament, faces various comic mishaps and challenges, including a charming woman thief.
- DirectorPeter MacDonaldStarsDamon WayansStacey DashMarlon WayansA con man, seeking to gain the affections of a woman he saw entering an office building, aquires a job in the same building working for an executive who has plans to use his skills for more than just the workplace.
- DirectorJules DassinStarsRichard WidmarkGene TierneyGoogie WithersA small-time grifter and nightclub tout takes advantage of some fortuitous circumstances and tries to become a big-time player as a wrestling promoter.
- DirectorEdmund GouldingStarsTyrone PowerJoan BlondellColeen GrayThe rise and fall of Stanton Carlisle, a mentalist whose lies and deceit prove to be his downfall.
- DirectorFabián BielinskyStarsRicardo DarínGastón PaulsGraciela TenenbaumTwo con artists try to swindle a stamp collector by selling him a sheet of counterfeit rare stamps (the "nine queens").
- DirectorCarl FranklinStarsDenzel WashingtonSanaa LathanEva MendesA Florida police chief must solve a vicious double homicide before he himself falls under suspicion.
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsMelanie GriffithMatthew ModineMichael KeatonA couple work hard to renovate their dream house and become landlords to pay for it. Unfortunately, one of their tenants has plans of his own.
- DirectorPeter BogdanovichStarsRyan O'NealTatum O'NealMadeline KahnDuring the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.
- DirectorSidney PoitierStarsSidney PoitierBill CosbyJames Earl JonesA retired Chicago cop blackmails two rich thieves into "volunteering" to help juvenile delinquents change paths.
- DirectorMars CallahanStarsMars CallahanChazz PalminteriMichael RosenbaumA talented pool hustler who has stayed out of the game for years must return to his old ways when his little brother gets involved with his enemy--the very man who held him back from greatness.
- DirectorMel BrooksStarsZero MostelGene WilderDick ShawnA stage-play producer devises a plan to make money by producing a sure-fire flop.
- DirectorJohn DahlStarsNicolas CageDennis HopperLara Flynn BoyleUpon arriving to a small town, a drifter is mistaken for a hitman, but when the real hitman arrives, complications ensue.
- DirectorGuy RitchieStarsJason StathamRay LiottaAndré 3000Gambler Jake Green enters into a game with potentially deadly consequences.
- DirectorJohn DahlStarsMatt DamonEdward NortonGretchen MolA young, reformed gambler must return to playing high stakes poker to help a friend pay off loan sharks, while balancing his relationship with his girlfriend and his commitments to law school.
- DirectorJohn FlynnStarsChristopher WalkenLorraine BraccoMiguel FerrerA female con-artist who sweet-talks wealthy men targeted by her violent boyfriend, then drugs them and makes off with their money, is being herself being watched by another man. He wants to use her talents in a much-bigger scam: ripping off a crime lord by getting at his programmer's computer files. But she starts to have doubts about what he's really after when she finds a huge stash of loot with the disks. He claims no knowledge of the money, she distrusts him, he's using her, things start getting dangerous and even murderous - and then her boyfriend shows up ! Who's scamming whom ?
- DirectorScott AlexanderLarry KaraszewskiStarsNorm MacDonaldDave ChappelleElaine StritchA chauffeur kidnaps his rich boss's dog to hold it for ransom, but when she accidentally gets the dog back, she thinks that it's the chauffeur who's been kidnapped.
- DirectorBryan ForbesStarsKim StanleyRichard AttenboroughMargaret LaceyA medium and her husband stage a kidnapping in order for her to pretend to solve the crime and achieve fame.
- DirectorDamian NiemanStarsJoe NicoloCarl Mazzocone Sr.George TovarA group of hustlers encounter "The Dean" and pull off a successful sting that results in their pursuit by a vengeful gangster.
- DirectorFred SchepisiStarsWill SmithStockard ChanningDonald SutherlandAn affluent New York City couple finds their lives touched, intruded upon, and compelled by a mysterious young black man who is never quite who he says he is.
- DirectorDavid MametStarsSteve MartinBen GazzaraCampbell ScottAn employee who develops a lucrative secret process for his corporation is tempted to betray the company when higher ups attempt to take the process from him. Dastardly intrigue ensues.
- DirectorGeorge Roy HillStarsPaul NewmanRobert RedfordRobert ShawTwo grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con.
- DirectorClaude ChabrolStarsIsabelle HuppertMichel SerraultFrançois CluzetBetty and Victor are a pair of scam artists. One day Betty brings in Maurice, a treasurer of a multinational company. Maurice is due to transfer 5 millions francs out of Switzerland, and Betty is convinced he plans to steal that money.
- DirectorPaul SchraderStarsBridget FondaChristopher WalkenSkeet UlrichAt the discovery of his ability to work miracles, Juvenal becomes a media sensation, but now he's prone to those who want to exploit him.
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsEddie MurphyDan AykroydRalph BellamyA snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.
- DirectorEdward L. CahnStarsJohn LitelMarie WindsorSteve BrodieAn honest bank employee gets hooked on horse racing, and starts to embezzle bank funds in an attempt to recoup his losses.
- DirectorJack NicholsonStarsJack NicholsonHarvey KeitelMeg TillyThe sequel to Chinatown (1974) finds J.J. "Jake" Gittes investigating adultery and murder, and the money that comes from oil.
- DirectorSidney PoitierStarsSidney PoitierBill CosbyHarry BelafonteAt Madame Zenobia's illegal nightclub, when Steve Jackson and Wardell Franklin get robbed of their wallets containing a winning lottery ticket, they set out to recover it.
- DirectorSam WeismanStarsMartin LawrenceDanny DeVitoJohn LeguizamoA rich man catches a thief burglarizing his home and steals the thief's lucky ring, who then tries to get it back.
- DirectorJohn McNaughtonStarsKevin BaconNeve CampbellMatt DillonA police detective uncovers a conspiracy behind a case involving a high-school guidance counselor when accusations of rape are made against him by two female students.