The Best Con Movies

Ranker Film
Updated August 11, 2023 7.4K votes 1.5K voters 118.8K views
Over 1.5K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Con Movies
Voting Rules
Films about con artists and confidence men
Latest additions: White Men Can't Jump
Most divisive: Heartbreakers

List of the best con movies of all time. Stories about con artists have been around since man could pick up a pen. The tales are thrilling because they feature people smart enough to steal from the rich to fill their own pocketbooks using complicated tricks. Some of the best movies ever made are about con men and their fascinating schemes. Con artist movies range from exciting heist adventures to following a scammer as he or she flits from town to town, scamming all in sight. Although these movies are - on the surface - about characters who are unscrupulous and willing to screw over anyone for a buck, there are still universal themes involved. Themes like trust, family, friendships, and loyalty appear in most of these movies and are therefore compelling to the average viewer.

This list includes movies from all different time periods, from a father daughter team in the 1920s to modern day scam partners. Some of the characters have close relationships to their con artist partners, while others are desperately searching for somebody to connect with, like Matt Damon's character in The Talented Mr. Ripley.

What are the best movies about con artists? This list features characters who could get you to hand over your wallet with a simple conversation and the exhilarating scams they think up.

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  • The Sting
    1

    The Sting

    Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw
    470 votes
    • Released: 1973
    • Directed by: George Roy Hill
    In the 1973 caper classic The Sting, Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) and Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) team up to swindle a fortune from a crime boss. The plot unfolds in 1930s Chicago, with Hooker playing the small-time grifter who seeks revenge for his partner's murder. He finds an ally in Gondorff, an experienced con man lying low after a big score. The duo devises an intricate scheme, 'the sting', involving poker games, fake bookies, and FBI agents. This film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, showcasing the crafty brilliance of its protagonists in a world where deception is the name of the game.

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  • The Usual Suspects
    2

    The Usual Suspects

    Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri
    363 votes
    • Released: 1995
    • Directed by: Bryan Singer
    The Usual Suspects is a mystery-thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. Five criminals, including Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne) and Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), meet during a police lineup. Soon after, they are entangled in an intricate plot involving a legendary criminal mastermind named Keyser Söze. The movie won two Academy Awards, one for Best Original Screenplay and another for Best Supporting Actor (Spacey). Directed by Bryan Singer and written by Christopher McQuarrie, it's a film of deception, power plays, and secrets that constantly challenges its audience.

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  • Ocean's Eleven
    3

    Ocean's Eleven

    George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia
    447 votes
    • Released: 2001
    • Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
    Ocean's Eleven, a stylish heist film, revolves around the suave mastermind Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his handpicked crew of specialists. The team, including the likes of Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) and Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon), embarks on an audacious mission. They aim to simultaneously rob three Las Vegas casinos - Bellagio, Mirage and MGM Grand - all owned by ruthless tycoon Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). Director Steven Soderbergh expertly weaves this intricate plot with wit and slick dialogue, earning the film five nominations at the 2002 BAFTA Awards. With its blend of crime, comedy, and suspense, Ocean's Eleven is a cinematic rollercoaster ride in the world of high-stakes thievery.

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  • Catch Me If You Can
    4

    Catch Me If You Can

    Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken
    600 votes
    • Released: 2002
    • Directed by: Steven Spielberg
    In the thrilling film Catch Me If You Can, we follow the intriguing escapades of Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), a master of deception and a skilled forger. With his cunning, he successfully poses as a pilot, doctor, and lawyer, all while cashing millions in fraudulent checks. Hot on his heels is seasoned FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), who's made it his mission to capture him. Navigating through this cat-and-mouse game, the movie explores themes of identity and deception. Directed by Steven Spielberg, this biographical crime film was nominated for two Academy Awards.

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  • Trading Places
    5

    Trading Places

    Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy
    172 votes
    • Released: 1983
    • Directed by: John Landis
    In the uproarious comedy Trading Places, Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd), an affluent commodities broker, and Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy), a streetwise hustler, find their worlds flipped upside down. Orchestrated by the devious Duke brothers (Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy), this unlikely pair are thrust into each other's lives in a social experiment of wealth versus poverty. As they navigate their new realities, they uncover the brothers' nefarious scheme. Armed with insider knowledge, they conspire to turn the tables on their puppeteers in this delightful tale of cunning and comeuppance.

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  • The Wolf of Wall Street
    6

    The Wolf of Wall Street

    Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie
    165 votes
    • Released: 2013
    • Directed by: Martin Scorsese
    In the riveting film The Wolf of Wall Street, we follow the life of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), a Wall Street stockbroker. Driven by ambition, he plunges headfirst into a world of greed and excess. His right-hand man, Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill), aids him in his unscrupulous endeavors. The movie, directed by Martin Scorsese, showcases their rise to immense wealth and subsequent fall into crime and corruption. It's a tale fraught with fraud, manipulation, and the relentless pursuit of power. This critically acclaimed drama won multiple awards for its exceptional storytelling and stellar performances.

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