Con Artist Crime backdrop

Con Artist Crime movies

Long cons and layered deception: identity games, elaborate scams, and constant risk of exposure.

Big Stan

1. Big Stan

Comedy Crime Dark Comedy Con Artist Crime
6.2
20071h 49min

Overview

A weak con man panics when he learns he's going to prison for fraud. He hires a mysterious martial arts guru who helps transform him into a martial arts expert who can fight off inmates who want to hurt or love him.

Themes

Deception and social ascent, Authority vs loyalty, Confinement and resilience, Mentorship and influence, Violence vs pacification, Reform through coercive leverage

Available on

Amazon Video
The Roku Channel
Hoopla
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Two for the Money

2. Two for the Money

Comedy Crime Drama Thriller Con Artist Crime
6.2
20052h 2min

Overview

A former college athlete joins forces with a sports consultant to handicap football games for high-rolling gamblers.

Themes

Media exposure, Greed vs success, False persona, Image crafting, Gambling risk and addiction, Career volatility

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Prime Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Anthony Zimmer

3. Anthony Zimmer

Thriller Crime Drama Romance Cover-Up Thriller
6.5
20051h 30min

Overview

François, an ordinary Joe, falls hard for the sublimely beautiful woman who has just picked him up on the train and invited him to spend the weekend with her on the Riviera. But when the lady disappears the next morning and the police drag him in for questioning, François discovers he's been set up to pass for her notorious outlaw husband on the run, Anthony Zimmer. Even though he's been lied to and manipulated, François' life is changed forever and he's ready to give anything - maybe even his life - to hold this mysterious beauty in his arms again.

Themes

Seduction as manipulation, Hidden identity deception, Money laundering fronts, Romantic entanglement amid crime, Police pressure and investigation, International crime network

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Bad Santa

4. Bad Santa

Drama Comedy Crime Dark Comedy Con Artist Crime
7.0
20031h 32min

Overview

You'd better watch out - Santa Claus Willie T. Soke is coming to town, and he doesn't care if you've been naughty or nice. Wille's favorite holiday tradition is to fill his sacks with loot lifted from shopping malls across the country. But this year his plot gets derailed by a wisecracking store detective, a sexy bartender, and a kid who's convinced Willie is the real Santa Claus.

Themes

Deception and disguise, Crime under pressure, Blackmail and extortion, Addiction and self-destruction, Child vulnerability, Protective guardianship

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Intolerable Cruelty

5. Intolerable Cruelty

Comedy Romance Crime Romantic Comedy Dark Comedy
6.3
20031h 40min

Overview

A revenge-seeking gold digger marries a womanizing Beverly Hills lawyer with the intention of making a killing in the divorce.

Themes

Wealth as leverage in divorce, Court strategy in divorce, Predatory marriages and inheritance, Social climbing through marriage, Satire of romance and law, Gold digger dynamics

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Matchstick Men

6. Matchstick Men

Comedy Drama Crime Thriller Con Artist Crime
7.3
20031h 56min

Overview

A phobic con artist and his protege are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the con artist's teenage daughter arrives unexpectedly.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Parent child relationship, Crime and consequences, Panic and anxiety, Desire for honest life, Fraud and ethics

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Man Who Copied

7. The Man Who Copied

Comedy Drama Romance Crime Awkward Comedy
7.6
20032h 3min

Overview

A young photocopier operator becomes infatuated with his neighbor and, unable to afford anything from her shop, turns to shady schemes to make money.

Themes

Deception as strategy, Romance under pressure, Crime as means to security, Material wealth obsession, Social climbing costs, Illusion versus reality


Capturing the Friedmans

8. Capturing the Friedmans

Documentary Crime True Crime Documentary Con Artist Crime
7.6
20031h 47min

Overview

An Oscar nominated documentary about a middle-class American family who is torn apart when the father Arnold and son Jesse are accused of sexually abusing numerous children. Director Jarecki interviews people from different sides of this tragic story and raises the question of whether they were rightfully tried when they claim they were innocent and there was never any evidence against them.

Themes

Middle-class vulnerability, Coercive interrogation, Family under scrutiny, Memory and testimony, Public accusation and doubt

Available on

HBO Max
HBO Max Amazon Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Shade

9. Shade

Action Thriller Crime Con Artist Crime Mind Game Thriller
6.3
20031h 41min

Overview

Tiffany, Charlie and Vernon are con artists looking to up the ante from their typical scams. They figure a good way of doing this is taking down Dean "The Dean" Stevens, a well-known cardsharp, in a rigged game. However, they first need enough money to enter a game with Stevens, so they decide to strike a deal with fellow crook Larry Jennings to scam a local gangster -- which turns out to be a bad idea.

Themes

Risk and reward, Deception under pressure, Betrayal within crime networks, Alliance volatility, Manipulation of chance, Urban legends vs reality

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Owning Mahowny

10. Owning Mahowny

Crime Drama Thriller Con Artist Crime Professional Drama
7.0
20031h 44min

Overview

Dan Mahowny was a rising star at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. At twenty-four he was assistant manager of a major branch in the heart of Toronto's financial district. To his colleagues he was a workaholic. To his customers, he was astute, decisive and helpful. To his friends, he was a quiet, but humorous man who enjoyed watching sports on television. To his girlfriend, he was shy but engaging. None of them knew the other side of Dan Mahowny--the side that executed the largest single-handed bank fraud in Canadian history, grossing over $10 million in eighteen months to feed his gambling obsession.

Themes

Embezzlement and fraud, Gambling addiction, Illicit funds and deception, Trust versus betrayal, Secrecy under scrutiny, Routine masking risk

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.