Like gangsters, con artists are fun to watch on screen, but no one would want to encounter them in the real world. Because humans are strongly wired to desire things such as love and success, these individuals take advantage of the cravings by promising things they don’t intend to deliver. A few others often manage to manipulate established systems without hurting too many people. Over the decades, hundreds of movies have explored the lives of both real and fictional con artists, and among the numerous fraudsters, a few have stood out because of their unique schemes and personalities. Even though they are lawbreakers with no sense of empathy, audiences find themselves rooting for them, thanks to great character development.
20John Vogel – Flag Day (2021)
There’s always a reason to be worried when someone keeps telling everyone about the numerous business deals they are working on. Such is the kind of person that John Vogel is onFlag Day, so his children adore him, knowing that daddy is a go-getter who always has something major lined up. However, it doesn’t take long for his daughter Jennifer to ask questions, and it’s soon revealed that John is a fraudster who forges dollar bills.
John and Jennifer are played by Sean Penn and his daughter Dylan, so there is a strong chemistry between them. One of the film’s best scenes involves John talking to an imaginary car dealer on the phone, pretending he is making plans to buy Jennifer a Jaguar, only for her to realize what’s happening. When he finishes talking, he finds her holding the disconnected phone lead in her hand.
19Carmine Sabatini – The Freshman (1990)
Marlon Brando changed actingin many ways and even at the tail end of his career, he still managed to give outstanding performances. InThe Freshman, he plays a businessman who convinces everyone that Vito Corleone fromThe Godfatherwas based on him. The actor allusion is incredible here because Brando actually dresses like Vito, hence he totally looks the way he did in the critically acclaimed mob movie.
By selling the lie, Brando’s character, Carmine Sabatini, earns himself the respect of many shady people, and he takes advantage of this by starting a restaurant that only sells the meat of endangered animals. For the privilege of feasting on the last member of a species, clients are charged a million dollars per plate. It later turns out that the meat doesn’t belong to endangered animals. Sabatini just wanted to swindle corrupt people out of their cash.
18Arthur Simon Simpson - Topkapi (1964)
Topkapi’s Arthur Simon Simpson starts out good but becomes evil along the way. When the police arrest him as he is transporting the car, he has no idea why, but he soon learns that the men who hired him have stuffed weapons in it that they intend to use during the heist of the emerald-encrusted dagger of Sultan Mahmud I.
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The police attempt to use Simpson as an informant, but he comes up with an even better plan: replace the dagger with a fake one and pretend the heist never took place. He and the gang will then claim to have no idea who planted the weapons in the car. It’s quite a complicated plan, yet Simpson remains confident and dedicated all the way.
17Frank Abagnale - Catch Me if You Can (2002)
From a career-best performance from Leonardo DiCaprio to excellent costume choices, there are multiplereasons whyCatch Me If You Canis the best crime drama of the 2000s. The events center around the young master of deception, Frank Abagnale Jr., who manages to pose as a professional in multiple fields, notably a Pan American World Airways pilot. And he does it all before his 19th birthday.
The effortless manner in which Frank fools everyone is the most remarkable thing about him. He even tricks an FBI agent who is looking for him into believing that he is a Secret Service agent, hence not the man he is after. So good is Frank that he is later absorbed into the FBI Financial Crimes Unit after being captured.
16Henry Gondoff – The Sting (1973)
Conning a ruthless crime boss not only takes a lot of guts but also calls for caution. Well, veteran con artist Henry Gondoff is up for the challenge when he is approached by young grifter Johny Hooker to help him defraud Chicago’s underworld kingpin, Doyle Lonnegan. Hooker is motivated by revenge because Lonnegan once murdered his friends for stealing from his courier.
Thrilled by the challenge, Gondoff gets to work, educating Hooker on all the dos and don’ts while also making sure the young man doesn’t double-cross him. After all, one can never know who to trust in this kind of business. The character is portrayed magnificently by Paul Newman, but he doesn’t carry all the weight alone. So good isThe Stingthat it was nominated for a whopping 10 Oscars.
15Fitz Fitzpatrick - Diggstown (1992)
The con inDiggstownisn’t out of the ordinary as it simply involves match fixing. However, it’s the scale at which is carried out that’s impressive. With his partner Caine, con artist Fitz heads to a small sport-obsessed town known as Diggstown and announces that he knows a boxer who can beat 10 of the area’s best fighters in one day. He then convinces a local skeptical tycoon to bet $1.5 million of his assets.
There are obvious health risks to fighting 10 people in one day, especially when the boxer is old, but Fitz and Caine convince their man, Palmer, that they will ensure he wins. They, therefore, give out bribes and employ various other tricks until Palmer defeats the last man. Despite the cheating, the fights are incredibly good, qualifying this as one ofthe best movies about boxing.
14Kim Family – Parasite (2019)
Fans have been divided aboutthe upcomingParasiteremakeand rightfully so because the original not only came out recently, but it’s' also flawless. At the center of the events is the impoverished Kim family, whose members conspire to all get employed at a wealthy man’s home by causing everyone who works there to be fired.
From the nanny to the driver, the Kim family members take up all jobs by recommending each other once their predecessors are sent packing. Though there is a big ethical question mark surrounding the scheme, audiences cannot help but admire the commitment and desire shown by everyone. After all, they aren’t stealing anything. They are simply trying to escape poverty.
13Harold Hill - The Music Man (1962)
Every parent yearns to see their children grow into honorable people, which means they will do everything to keep them out of trouble. Harol Hill fromThe Music Manunderstands this, so he heads to the fictional River City area in Iowa and convinces the parents that their teenage boys (who like playing pool) are engaging in debauchery. He then proposes an alternative: enlisting them into his marching band.
Hill isn’t the excellent musician he claims to be, and his plan is to run away once the parents pay the fees. As expected, a few obstacles pop up, notably in the form of a woman who is the local librarian. He deals with her the traditional cliché way by seducing her. Next comes the Mayor, who doubts Hill’s credentials, but he is easily dealt with. The biggest challenge comes when a man whom Hill once conned shows up in the town.
12Angela and Wendy Nardino - Heartbreakers (2001)
Like great businessmen, con artists easily spot opportunities where others don’t and for the mother-daughter duo of Angela and Wendy inHeartbreakers, they realize there is a lot of money to be made in marriage and divorce. Their con involves Angela hunting wealthy men and marrying them, then Wendy seduces the groom on the wedding day. Since infidelity is reason enough for divorce, Angela files for marital termination and walks away with a huge settlement.
The duo is incredibly good, and the only sad thing about the movie is the introduction of a romance subplot in the third act. By causing the characters to fall in love and become sympathetic, the awesomeness is lost. Even so, the story is detailed and enjoyable, serving as a cautionary sign to those who rush into marriage without studying their spouse first.
11“Fast Eddie” Felson - The Hustler (1961) and The Color of Money (1986)
“Hustling” (pretending you are weak) is one of the most common forms of treachery in sports and Paul Newman’s “Fast Eddie” Felson employs it effectively inThe Hustler. The pool player often presents himself as an untalented drunkard, forcing everyone to bet against him only for him to win. He thus keeps accumulating thousands of dollars in each town he visits.
Eddie sure deserves a lot of credit for pulling off the con for a long time without getting detected. It’s an admirable feat because the pool-playing community isn’t too big. Lies can be spotted easily, yet Eddie conceals his motives easily. So good is the character that Martin Scorsese chose to import him for his movie,The Color of Money. Newman reprised his role and gave an even better performance, winning an Oscar for Best Actor.
