Underrated

Catch Me If You Can and American Hustle are two of the best-known movies about real-life con artists. If you've seen them but crave more fact-based scam films, try one of these underrated titles. The subject of scamming has long fascinated audiences, likely because it plays into a couple primal emotions simultaneously. We admire the ingenuity and creativity that goes into devising these schemes, yet at the same time, we loathe the idea of amoral scammers ripping off and deceiving other people. Such cognitive dissonance makes it easy to get sucked in.Many big stars appear in the following movies. Among them are Melissa McCarthy, Jim Carrey, Jennifer Lopez, and Robert DeNiro. In each case, the stories provide a captivating look at how true cons were carried out and what the consequences were for the parties involved. They turned to some ethically dubious individuals for inspiration, making great art out of crimes that were often shocking.

Underrated Movies About Real-Life Scammers And Con Artists

Film

Mike McGranaghan

Pop Culture

Crime-related <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-new-tv-dramas-of-the-last-few-years/ranker-tv?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">dramas on TV</a> and in film often make even the most mysterious cases seem relatively easy to solve. After a few scenes depicting frustration and bewilderment, the expert CSI agent or forensic scientist suddenly makes a case-breaking discovery by analyzing a piece of hair, pulling together cellphone data, or having a witness crack under pressure. Often, the heroes of these stories overcome another corrupt entity within their division to ensure that justice is served as they save the day.&nbsp;While these dramas make for excellent and entertaining stories, they're often a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/how-forensic-science-actually-works/zack-howe">far cry from reality</a>. What happens when a killer leaves behind all his clothes at a crime scene, full of DNA, and experts still can't identify the perpetrator? Or when crooked law enforcement agents don't have anyone there to expose their evidence-meddling tactics? Or when a serial killer strikes a city, and no one finds out about it for years?&nbsp;Unlike the popular mystery-solving dramas in the entertainment industry, these true crime stories are a collection of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-history-moments/lauren-glen">eerie mysteries that remain unsolved</a> - despite the evidence and clues the murderers left behind.&nbsp;

Creepy And Disturbing Mysteries That Sent Shivers Down Our Spines

General

Lauren Glen

Interesting

Interrogation scenes have kept audiences' hearts playing hop-scotch for minutes on end in prominent films like Casino Royale, The Dark Knight, and Killer Instinct. The cat-and-mouse game between interrogator and detainee is exciting to watch, and it's hard not to root for the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/underdogs-in-history-who-won/melissa-sartore">underdog</a>. While the Joker shoving a pencil in an interrogator's eye is a fictional occurrence, many other interrogation scenes contain slivers of truth and reality that are found in precincts around the world.Experts advising police and detectives have employed numerous interrogation tactics and methods; should the interrogator build rapport and respect the detainee, or should they intentionally hike their cortisol levels to get a quicker confession? Below, we'll look at the science of interrogations and some of the common techniques that have dominated interrogation rooms since the mid-20th century.

Interrogation Techniques And Tricks Everyone Should Know

Stephen Morin

Motorcycle clubs often bring to mind images of guns, drugs, bikes, and leather. From afar <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/life-of-bikers/philgibbons">their lives seem mysterious and full of danger</a>. The US has many motorcycle clubs all over the country, and most are harmless enough, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/biker-rules/nathan-gibson">with rules that denote what members can and can't do</a>. In general, it's believed 99% of these clubs are law-abiding groups of people brought together by a particular passion for riding. Unfortunately, that leaves 1% of clubs that aren't interested in following the rule of law.Out of the many motorcycle gangs in the US, few are as feared as the Pagans Motorcycle Club. The group has been causing mayhem and frustration for law enforcement since the mid-1960s. Read on to find out more about one of most notorious and deadly motorcycle gangs in America.&nbsp;

14 Facts About The Pagans Motorcycle Gang

Pagans Motorcycle Gang: 14 Facts About The Biker Outlaws

Christina Chilin

Anna Moriah Wilson's death left friends and family devastated, and as of this article's publishing, police continue to search for her killer. Wilson, a competitive gravel and mountain bike cyclist known to many as “Mo,” was found shot to death in a friend's home on May 11, 2022. After an initial investigation, law enforcement soon suspected a woman named Kaitlin Marie Armstrong of murdering Wilson. Both Armstrong and Wilson had relationships with professional cyclist Colin Strickland, and Armstrong had previously made contact with Wilson about staying away from him.Wilson had been scheduled to participate in a race that Saturday and was considered “a favorite” by the close-knit gravel cycling community. She had recently quit her job as a demand planner to become a full-time competitive cyclist and had already won multiple races in 2022.As this case continues to unfold, we're gathering up all of the essential facts about the murder of Mo Wilson and the impending arrest of Kaitlin Marie Armstrong.

A Cyclist Was Fatally Shot In Her Friend’s Home, And The Investigation Is Quickly Unfolding

Who Killed Cyclist Anna Moriah "Mo" Wilson?

Patrick Thornton

Mysteries

Hannah Upp was a young woman with a positive attitude and a zest for life. Despite having divorced parents and struggling with her personal understanding of religion, she was a&nbsp;seemingly happy, successful woman <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/02/how-a-young-woman-lost-her-identity/amp">aspiring to become a Montessori teacher</a> in order to effect positive change in the world.Unfortunately, she also suffered from a rare disorder best known for afflicting Jason Bourne, the fictional protagonist from The Bourne Identity and its sequels. Because of this condition, she went missing twice and was later found with no recollection of what had happened. In 2017, Upp <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/what-happened-to-hannah-upp-the-mystery-around-the-young-womans-disappearance-continues">went missing for a third time</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/paula-jean-welden-disappearance-vermont/patrick-thornton">has never been found</a>.

A Teacher With A Rare Form Of Amnesia Disappeared Three Times And Hasn't Been Found

A Teacher With A Rare Form Of Amnesia Disappeared Three Times And Has Not Been Found

1990s

The decade that brought us The X-Files, The Silence of the Lambs, and Men in Black also brought plenty of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/local-solved-mysteries/chrissy-rose" target="_blank">real-life drama and mystery</a> as well. It was the decade when little beauty&nbsp;queen JonBen&eacute;t Ramsey first looked out at the country&nbsp;from the cover of People magazine, her brutal killing shocking the world. It was the decade that involved a double homicide and a beloved former football player. It was also a decade that included plenty of suspected alien activity.&nbsp;

Like the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/unsolved-mysteries-of-the-1980s/chrissy-rose" target="_blank">decades before</a>, the &#39;90s had its own share of mysteries, many of which are still unsolved today. Some of them you may have heard of, but never fathomed all of the details. Other <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/unresolved-mysteries/chrissy-rose" target="_blank">mysteries</a>&nbsp;might be shockingly new, yet no less disturbing or mind-boggling.&nbsp;If you&#39;re looking for a blast from the past that will neither settle nor soothe you, this is the right list.&nbsp;

The Biggest Mysteries From The '90s That Are Still Unsolved

Chrissy Rose

Living in the city may present&nbsp;a litany of problems for people who are unprepared for urban&nbsp;life. Living in a metropolitan&nbsp;area comes with a myriad of external problems&nbsp;unique to city landscapes including&nbsp;dense populations, expensive living costs, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/hostile-architecture-examples/rachel-souerbry" target="_blank">hostile architecture</a>, as well as health risks including an increased chance of depression and anxiety.&nbsp;

This doesn&#39;t mean that living in the country is the answer to your problems. The realities of rural America comes with its own issues,&nbsp;and when choosing where you want to spend your days, you should think about what&rsquo;s best for you.&nbsp;If, however, you&rsquo;re aware of the problems that can occur within a city, you can be more prepared to combat them.&nbsp;

All The Ways The Design of Cities Are Psychologically Damaging

How Cities Hurt People: Dangerous Urban Design

Jacob Shelton

Whoa Facts

The mob. The Mafia. La Cosa Nostra. We&#39;ve all heard of it, and seen it portrayed in movies such as The Godfather or on&nbsp;TV shows like The Sopranos. But what was the Mafia&nbsp;really like? How did the organized operation that brought us <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/al-capone-trivia-facts/jeffrichard" target="_blank">Al Capone</a>, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weird-gangster-stories/kate-gardner" target="_blank">Bugsy Siegel</a>, and&nbsp;Lucky Luciano actually operate?

Some believe the presence of the mob was exaggerated from the start, yet others&nbsp;insist that its presence is as pervasive today as it was 100 years ago.&nbsp;To answer some of the most common <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/til-facts-about-the-mafia/will-morgan-1" target="_blank">questions people have about the Mafia</a>,&nbsp;Reddit&#39;s &quot;Ask Historians&quot; community is a handy place to turn. Just as they have helped shed light on everything from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/historians-answer-bible-questions/setareh-janda" target="_blank">the Bible</a>&nbsp;to what life was really like in the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/historians-answer-wild-west-questions/will-morgan-1" target="_blank">American West,</a>&nbsp;these historians will shine a light on a group that thrived on operating in the dark.

Actual Historians Answer Questions About The Mafia

Lists about real people who were held against their will, the monsters who tormented them, and the grisly details of what went on during those dark times.

Human Captives

In July 1976, summer school was in full swing in the small California town of Chowchilla, and bus driver Ed Ray had 26 children in his care as he drove them home. Out of nowhere, three men blocked the bus and perpetrated one of the largest-scale kidnappings in US history.

As if the abduction&nbsp;from a school bus - what is supposed to be a safe location - weren&#39;t enough, the three male kidnappers loaded their 27 targets into windowless vans for transport to a poorly made&nbsp;underground prison&nbsp;without sufficient food or water. Luckily for the children, Ray was determined to protect them and, joined by one of the students, succeeded in <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/lisa-mcvey-noland-surivor-story/april-a-taylor?ref=collections_page" target="_blank">securing their escape</a>.

Still, while the story&nbsp;has a seemingly happy ending, the long-term effects of captivity on the children,&nbsp;as well as the senseless reasoning behind the event, continue to haunt survivors and the town itself.

The Story Of The Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping, One Of The Biggest Abductions In US History

Facts About The Chowchilla Bus Kidnapping

Jodi Smith

Are we all alone in the universe? Probs not.

Close Encounters

Aliens

People have flying-related phobias&nbsp;for a number of reasons:&nbsp;Maybe they&#39;re worried the plane will&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/airplane-close-calls/amandasedlakhevener" target="_blank">malfunction</a>&nbsp;or that they&#39;ll&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-pilot-stories/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">see something strange</a> while they&#39;re up there. After all, plenty of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/ufos-seen-by-pilots-and-astronauts/scottmarcano" target="_blank">pilots have reported</a> seeing all sorts of weird things miles off the ground.&nbsp;

Frederick Valentich was one of these pilots - he&nbsp;radioed into traffic control midair one night to report seeing an object&nbsp;flying near him in the sky. His last words were, &quot;It&#39;s not an aircraft,&quot; before being cut off by a&nbsp;metallic scraping sound, followed by radio silence. Valentich was never seen again.

What happened to him? We may never know for sure, but here&#39;s a full breakdown of the situation&nbsp;and some of the most likely theories surrounding the mystery.

Did Pilot Frederick Valentich See A UFO Before He Mysteriously Disappeared?

Linda Meyers

Mystery Entertainment

Looking for more shows like Flashpoint? We&rsquo;ve compiled this <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-movies-about-movies/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">list of movies</a> and TV <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-to-watch-if-you-love-24/watchworthy?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">shows similar to</a> Flashpoint that are sure to conjure up the same feelings of crime drama that you had while watching your favorite episodes of Flashpoint.

With lots of options, including S.W.A.T., a show with elite law enforcement officers taking on extreme crimes, and even movies like Tenet, a film that follows a secret agent who is tasked with preventing an attack, deciding what to watch after Flashpoint will really just depend on your mood.

Vote up the best movies and shows like Flashpoint, so other fans know what to watch next. Thanks to streaming services, like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney Plus, and Prime Video, you can start streaming these movies and shows right now.

With more than 40 million people visiting Ranker every month, we are able to offer you data-driven recommendations based on voting across thousands of film &amp; TV polls.

What To Watch If You Love 'Flashpoint'

25+ Best Movies & Shows Like 'Flashpoint'

watchworthy

Keeping <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/terrifying-drunk-confessions-from-friends/erin-maxwell" target="_blank">secrets</a> isn&#39;t easy, but these Redditors have been holding in some particularly dark ones for quite a while. When asked, people around the internet started revealing the darkest secrets they knew about other people that those people don&#39;t know they know.

People Confess The Darkest Secrets They Know About Someone Else

People Confess Dark Secrets They Know About Someone Else

Damon Davis

Getting a little too close to the legendary beings that survive by drinking the essence of life: human blood.

Vampires: Who's Thirsty?

Vampires

The Louisiana city of New Orleans is infamous for many things, like the streets filled with debauchery during Mardi Gras and&nbsp;infamous murderers like <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/scary-madame-lalaurie-facts/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">Madame LaLaurie</a>. Its blood-soaked history is filled with monsters disguised as regular people, with tales of witchery, ghosts, and vampires around every corner. Two&nbsp;of the lesser-known fiends of New Orleans are&nbsp;actually a pair of brothers named John and Wayne Carter.

Legend has it that the two dock-worker brothers were vampires who snatched up more than a dozen victims in the 1930s, holding them captive in their shared home in order to drain and drink their blood. After one of their prisoners escaped their shared home and alerted police, the full scope of their mania was revealed. While the brothers were tried and executed for their crimes, many claim to see them still haunting the streets of New Orleans, taking their place in the grand lore of the city.

The Legend Of The Carter Brothers, New Orleans’s Sibling Vampire Duo

The Legend Of The Carter Brothers, New Orleans’ Sibling Vampire Duo

Strange True Stories

Bryce Laspisa was supposed to be driving to his parents&#39; home in Southern California when he vanished without a trace. The Bryce Laspisa case remains one of the most perplexing <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/people-who-disappeared-mysteriously/alby-thompson" target="_blank">missing person</a> cases in modern true crime, with no viable leads since the teen&#39;s disappearance in 2013.

Laspisa had spent the summer at his parents&#39; home&nbsp;and had only returned to school two weeks before the events of August 28-30. His parents, who have repeatedly stated&nbsp;that nothing seemed wrong when he left to go back to school, have described the 19-year-old college student as&nbsp;an &quot;open book&quot; who could talk to them about anything.

However, somewhere between Laspisa returning to school and police finding his car in a ravine, something seems to have gone horribly wrong. Despite years of theorizing, the question still remains: What happened to Bryce Laspisa?

Bryce Laspisa's Car Was Found Overturned In A California Ravine, But He Had Completely Vanished

The Strange Disappearance Of Bryce Laspisa

No matter the circumstance, a missing persons case is always mystifying, eerie, and heartbreaking. That is seldom more true than when people vanish&nbsp;in the midst of seemingly mundane activities, such as these people who disappeared from cars, often left in the middle of the road -&nbsp;sometimes with the engine still running. Some of these missing people who left their cars behind were later found, either as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/attempted-murder-victim-escape-stories/stefanie-hammond" target="_blank">victims</a> of foul play or simple misfortune. Others&nbsp;remain missing to this day.

Whatever the circumstances, these strange and haunting tales of car vanishings leave us with more questions than answers. Within the abandoned vehicles&nbsp;are often a plethora of clues, but they rarely piece together&nbsp;a satisfying image of&nbsp;these people&#39;s last known sightings. Whether abducted midday or simply gone without a trace, these eerie tales of people who disappeared from cars are pretty much all unforgettable.

People Who Seemingly Vanished From Their Own Cars

Orrin Grey

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