Movies with Con Artists: Essential Films

Other Watch Lists:
1941 - 202126 Films50h 15m4.1 Average

The con artist subgenre explores the art of deception through characters who live by their wits, manipulating trust and exploiting human psychology for profit. Our curated watch list spans from the Golden Age of Hollywood through contemporary cinema, showcasing how filmmakers have explored themes of identity, trust, and moral ambiguity.

The list includes everything from lighthearted romps like The Lady Eve to morally complex character studies like The Talented Mr. Ripley, from Mamet's cerebral mind games in House of Games to Spielberg's crowd-pleasing Catch Me If You Can. Whether focused on small-time hustlers or elaborate long cons, these films reveal that the con artist genre is fundamentally about human nature: our desires, our vulnerabilities, and the masks we all wear.

There is 1 other watch list available - see the link up above.

List not ranked (sorted by Release Date)

1
The Lady Eve poster

The Lady Eve

19411h 37m4.2
Director: Preston Sturges
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn, Eugene Pallette, William Demarest

A clever con artist sets her sights on a wealthy but naive heir, but complications arise when she genuinely falls for her mark. When her scheme is exposed, she devises an elaborate revenge plot involving a false aristocratic identity.

ComedyRomance

Affiliate link - no extra cost

2
Nightmare Alley poster

Nightmare Alley

19471h 51m4.1
Director: Edmund Goulding
Cast: Tyrone Power, Helen Walker, Coleen Gray, Joan Blondell, Taylor Holmes

A drifter joins a traveling carnival and becomes entangled in the dark world of fortune tellers and con artists, leading him down a dangerous path of ambition and deception.

DramaThrillerCrime

Affiliate link - no extra cost

3
The Hustler poster

The Hustler

19612h 14m4.6
Director: Robert Rossen
Cast: Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott, Myron McCormick

A talented but self-destructive pool hustler challenges the legendary Minnesota Fats to a high-stakes match that will test both his skill and character.

DramaRomance

Affiliate link - no extra cost

4
The Flim-Flam Man poster

The Flim-Flam Man

19671h 44m4
Director: Irvin Kershner
Cast: George C. Scott, Michael Sarrazin, Sue Lyon, Jack Albertson, Alice Ghostley

A charming con artist takes on a young Army deserter as his protégé, and together they pull off various scams across the rural South while being pursued by a determined sheriff. As their schemes become increasingly dangerous, the young man begins to question whether a life of crime is worth the consequences.

ComedyCrime

Affiliate link - no extra cost

5
The Sting poster

The Sting

19732h 9m4.8
Director: George Roy Hill
Cast: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning, Ray Walston

A novice con artist teams up with a seasoned grifter to pull off an elaborate revenge scheme against a dangerous mobster in 1930s Chicago.

ComedyCrimeDrama

Affiliate link - no extra cost

6
Paper Moon poster

Paper Moon

19731h 42m4.7
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Cast: Tatum O'Neal, Ryan O'Neal, Madeline Kahn, John Hillerman, Jessie Lee Fulton

During the Great Depression, a charming con man reluctantly teams up with a precocious young girl who claims to be his daughter, leading to an unlikely partnership as they travel across the American Midwest.

ComedyCrimeDrama

Affiliate link - no extra cost

7
Trading Places poster

Trading Places

19831h 56m4.2
Director: John Landis
Cast: Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott

A wealthy investor and a street-smart hustler have their lives completely switched as part of a cruel social experiment conducted by two wealthy brothers.

Comedy

Affiliate link - no extra cost

8
The Color of Money poster

The Color of Money

19861h 59m3.9
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Helen Shaver, John Turturro

Former pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson mentors a talented but cocky young player named Vincent, teaching him the art of hustling as they tour pool halls together. Their partnership eventually deteriorates, leading to a confrontation where mentor and student face off as rivals.

Drama

Affiliate link - no extra cost

9
House of Games poster

House of Games

19871h 42m3.9
Director: David Mamet
Cast: Lindsay Crouse, Joe Mantegna, Mike Nussbaum, Lilia Skala, J. T. Walsh

A psychiatrist becomes entangled in the dangerous world of con artists when she tries to help a compulsive gambler, only to discover that nothing is as it seems.

CrimeThrillerDrama

Affiliate link - no extra cost

10
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels poster

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

19881h 50m4.1
Director: Frank Oz
Cast: Steve Martin, Michael Caine, Glenne Headly, Anton Rodgers, Barbara Harris

Two con artists, sophisticated Lawrence and crude Freddy, compete in a high-stakes swindling contest to determine who gets to stay in their luxurious French Riviera territory. Their target is an American heiress, with the winner claiming both the money and the right to remain in town.

ComedyCrime

Affiliate link - no extra cost

11
A Fish Called Wanda poster

A Fish Called Wanda

19881h 49m4.2
Director: Charles Crichton
Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, John Cleese, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin, Maria Aitken

A hilarious heist comedy where a jewel thief's carefully planned diamond robbery becomes complicated when multiple parties scheme to double-cross each other for the loot.

ComedyCrime

Affiliate link - no extra cost

12
The Grifters poster

The Grifters

19901h 50m3.6
Director: Stephen Frears
Cast: Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, Annette Bening, Jan Munroe, Robert Weems

A small-time con artist finds himself caught between his estranged mother and new girlfriend, both skilled grifters with their own dangerous schemes.

CrimeDrama

Affiliate link - no extra cost

13
The Spanish Prisoner poster

The Spanish Prisoner

19971h 50m3.9
Director: David Mamet
Cast: Steve Martin, Campbell Scott, Ben Gazzara, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay

An inventor of a revolutionary secret process becomes paranoid and isolated when he suspects that both his colleagues and his corporation are plotting against him in this intricate psychological thriller.

DramaMysteryThriller

Affiliate link - no extra cost

14
The Talented Mr. Ripley poster

The Talented Mr. Ripley

19992h 20m4.2
Director: Anthony Minghella
Cast: Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Cate Blanchett, Philip Seymour Hoffman

A calculating young man named Tom Ripley is hired to travel to Italy and bring back a wealthy playboy, but becomes dangerously obsessed with infiltrating his target's luxurious lifestyle. What begins as a simple mission spirals into a web of deception and identity theft.

ThrillerCrimeDrama

Affiliate link - no extra cost

15
Nine Queens poster

Nine Queens

20001h 54m4.6
Original Title: Nueve reinas
Director: Fabián Bielinsky
Cast: Ricardo Darín, Gastón Pauls, Leticia Brédice, Gabo Correa, Pochi Ducasse

Two con artists attempt to pull off an elaborate scheme involving a sheet of counterfeit rare stamps called the "nine queens" and an unsuspecting collector.

CrimeThrillerDrama

Affiliate link - no extra cost

16
Catch Me If You Can poster

Catch Me If You Can

20022h 21m4.8
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye

Based on a true story, a brilliant young con artist successfully impersonates a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and prosecutor while cashing millions in fraudulent checks, all while being pursued by a determined FBI agent.

DramaCrime

Affiliate link - no extra cost

17
Confidence poster

Confidence

20031h 37m3.5
Director: James Foley
Cast: Edward Burns, Rachel Weisz, Andy Garcia, Paul Giamatti, Morris Chestnut

A skilled con artist and his crew discover they've accidentally swindled money from an accountant working for a dangerous crime boss. Now they must pull off an even bigger con to stay alive and settle their debt while evading both criminals and law enforcement.

ActionComedyThrillerCrimeMystery

Affiliate link - no extra cost

18
Matchstick Men poster

Matchstick Men

20031h 56m4
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Alison Lohman, Bruce Altman, Bruce McGill

A neurotic con artist's carefully planned life is turned upside down when his estranged teenage daughter suddenly enters his world, forcing him to balance his criminal schemes with unexpected fatherhood.

ComedyDramaCrimeThriller

Affiliate link - no extra cost

19
Criminal poster

Criminal

20041h 27m3.4
Director: Gregory Jacobs
Cast: John C. Reilly, Diego Luna, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Mullan, Zitto Kazann

Two con artists team up to pull off an elaborate scam involving a fake Silver Certificate and a wealthy currency collector. Their carefully planned scheme becomes complicated when personal relationships and family obligations interfere with the job.

ActionComedyThriller

Affiliate link - no extra cost

20
The Brothers Bloom poster

The Brothers Bloom

20081h 54m3.7
Director: Rian Johnson
Cast: Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, Mark Ruffalo, Rinko Kikuchi, Robbie Coltrane

Two master con artists embark on one final elaborate scheme, targeting a wealthy and eccentric heiress in a romantic adventure that spans the globe.

AdventureComedyDramaRomance

Affiliate link - no extra cost

21
American Hustle poster

American Hustle

20132h 18m3.9
Director: David O. Russell
Cast: Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence

A charismatic con artist and his alluring partner are coerced by an unpredictable FBI agent into an elaborate sting operation targeting corrupt politicians and organized crime figures in 1970s New Jersey.

DramaCrime

Affiliate link - no extra cost

22
The Best Offer poster

The Best Offer

20132h 11m4.7
Original Title: La migliore offerta
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Sylvia Hoeks, Donald Sutherland, Maximilian Dirr

A world-renowned antiques expert and auctioneer who lives a solitary life finds his carefully ordered existence transformed when he's hired to evaluate a mysterious woman's priceless art collection. As he becomes emotionally involved with his enigmatic client, his passion threatens to upend everything he thought he knew about himself.

DramaRomanceCrime

Affiliate link - no extra cost

23
Focus poster

Focus

20151h 45m4
Director: John Requa
Cast: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Adrian Martinez, Gerald McRaney, Rodrigo Santoro

An experienced con artist takes a novice under his wing, but their romantic involvement complicates things when she later resurfaces as competition in the high-stakes world of deception.

RomanceComedyCrime

Affiliate link - no extra cost

24
The Good Liar poster

The Good Liar

20191h 49m3.8
Director: Bill Condon
Cast: Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen, Russell Tovey, Jim Carter, Mark Lewis Jones

A seasoned con man targets a wealthy widow in what he believes will be his greatest score, but their growing relationship complicates his carefully laid plans.

Crime

Affiliate link - no extra cost

25
I Care a Lot poster

I Care a Lot

20211h 59m3.7
Director: J Blakeson
Cast: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Dianne Wiest, Chris Messina

A cunning legal guardian makes a living by exploiting elderly clients under her care, but her scheme backfires when she targets the wrong person.

CrimeThrillerDramaComedy
26
Nightmare Alley poster

Nightmare Alley

20212h 31m4
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins

An ambitious carnival con man with a talent for manipulation becomes entangled with a cunning female psychologist in this dark psychological thriller about ambition and deception.

CrimeDramaThriller

Affiliate link - no extra cost