# Con (as in "confidence game") movies and novels **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 8, 2016, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370 "2016-09-08T21:48:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/41 "2016-09-09T16:53:48Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > Thank you all for all the movie an TV suggestions. > > I’m surprised that no one has mentioned any novels yet. Could there be a reason why a con doesn’t work well in a print medium? To guide off what I’d said in the other thread, consider THE FOURTH PROTOCOL: it opens with a heist, but it’s a con-artist-working-with-an-assistant-con-artist heist rather than a black-clad cat burglar scaling a building or whatever. And from there, what got heisted turns out to include classified documents a guy was hoping to pass to the foreign government he’d been conned into spying for. And once that’s brought to the attention of counterespionage types, our hero (a) realizes that any ‘classified information’ the dupe passes will be believed, which promptly lets him con that foreign government into giving up classified info of their own – and then our hero (b) orchestrates stuff to con said foreign government into thinking that, _no, the guy you thought you’d conned was cheerfully working for us all along, passing you false documents that you should totally junk now._ So, yeah, it’s a spy novel, but it’s basically cons all the way down. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/42 "2016-09-09T17:13:26Z")
[_Sneakers_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sneakers_(1992_film)) is about an organization paid by companies to pull heists on said companies in order to test their security. Much of the movie involves the organization being conned into pulling a heist, figuring out who conned them, and how to pull a heist on the cons. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/43 "2016-09-09T17:20:09Z")
[_Escape Plan_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_Plan_(film)) is largely about a prison architect/professional prison escapee but there are at least two con games involved. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/44 "2016-09-09T17:26:12Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > That was a good series, and Steph and RJ made a really sharp couple! 🆒 Yeah, they did. They were so good together that after Stephanie’s boyfriend William Holden died and Wagner’s wife Natalie Wood died I began to wonder if they might become a couple themselves. Wagner’s 86 years old now and [still looks great](https://images.bwwstatic.com/upload3/108112/tn-500_boy4.jpeg). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/45 "2016-09-09T17:30:19Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Is it? I don’t really see it as such, just an effective salesman. The musical instruments and band uniforms really do exist and are delivered on time. The people get what they pay for, and it really does seem to have a positive effect on the children. > > Admittedly, he does claim to be able to teach the children how to use the instruments. This is false, he’s no music teacher. Mostly, though, it’s honest salesmanship with no fraud. But he DOESN’T KNOW THE TERRITORY! No, Greg is a total con artist, not an honest salesman. He and Marcellus admit such in Act 1. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/46 "2016-09-09T17:39:27Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > No, Greg is a total con artist, not an honest salesman. He and Marcellus admit such in Act 1. Anyone who teaches music using the “Think System” is not to be trusted with anything! :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/47 "2016-09-11T02:48:33Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > How about the classic “Who’s Minding the Mint?” starring the Skipper and Gilligan (Bob Denver and Victor Buono standing in for Alan Hale Jr, IIRC), in which half of the junior comedians in H’wood try to print a bunch of money to get someone out of trouble for having shredded some? > > Subtle, witty, nuanced… TV movie from 1967. Gahhh. I caught that on ABC’s _4:30 Movie_ as a kid in the 70s. For some reason I didn’t remember Gilligan being in it (Jim Hutton played the lead). Even Jamie Farr, Klinger from _M_A_S_H\*, had a small role near the end. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/48 "2016-09-11T02:51:46Z")
My favorite in this genre is **Spy Game** , with Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. ETA: Was there much con work in **The Sandbaggers** , does anyone remember? It’s certainly in a related genre, but maybe just a touch more adventure/investigative than con. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/49 "2016-09-11T22:01:05Z")
For con novels, you can’t go past _Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less_ by Jeffrey Archer. I don’t much like his later stuff, but that is a good read. You might also try _Only When I Larf_ by Len Deighton. Any of the _Saint_ books by Leslie Charteris ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/50 "2016-09-11T22:21:10Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > ETA: Was there much con work in **The Sandbaggers** , does anyone remember? It’s certainly in a related genre, but maybe just a touch more adventure/investigative than con. Not a lot, if any. It was usually straightforward spycraft. I suppose a female agent finding a way to sleep with another spy is a con in the strict sense, but it really doesn’t fit. From the golden age of Hollywood, there’s _The Lady Eve_, where Barbara Stanwyck is part of a con to part Henry Fonda from his money, only to fall in love with him. ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/51 "2016-09-12T02:02:43Z")
Well, I really enjoyed ‘Leverage’ and still watch it on Netflix. I think the case just worked very well together. I watched a couple of episodes of Hustle but it isn’t available anywhere that I know. I would like to see more of it. The only other movie I have seen was ‘The Sting’ which dealt with a ‘long con’ and I have watched that many time. From what I read above, many of the others deal with the individuals and not with the con, itself. Bob ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/52 "2016-09-12T07:39:23Z")
[Heartbreakers](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0125022/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_1) is a comedy about a couple of con artists. [American Hustle](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1800241/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_1) involves con artists, although the ultimate con in the movie isn’t a typical crime. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/53 "2016-09-12T10:58:08Z")
A non-fiction recommendation: The Big Con by David Maurer. This is the classic account of the 1920s/30s con game, by a professor of linguistics who was studying criminal argots and became fascinated by the methods and sociology of the con-artists. If that sounds dry, don’t be fooled - it’s a lively and well-written account of the con game, including narrative accounts of the three major long-cons (The Wire, The Pay-Off and The Rag, since you ask) and insights into the psychology of both marks and con-men. The account of The Wire was clearly the source material for The Sting, and the individual chapter titles of the movie (e.g. The Shut-Out) are directly taken from the book. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/54 "2016-09-12T11:05:44Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > A non-fiction recommendation: The Big Con by David Maurer. This is the classic account of the 1920s/30s con game, by a professor of linguistics who was studying criminal argots and became fascinated by the methods and sociology of the con-artists. > > If that sounds dry, don’t be fooled - it’s a lively and well-written account of the con game, including narrative accounts of the three major long-cons (The Wire, The Pay-Off and The Rag, since you ask) and insights into the psychology of both marks and con-men. The account of The Wire was clearly the source material for The Sting, and the individual chapter titles of the movie (e.g. The Shut-Out) are directly taken from the book. The writers for the Mission: Impossible TV series were also big fans of the work, though I don’t know that they used any of the cons in the book in the series (maybe The Wire). I think, mostly, they used it to get into the right mindset. And yes, I’d recommend the book as well. ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/55 "2016-09-12T11:32:18Z")
Conan Doyle’s “The Red-Headed League” certainly seems to fit here. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/56 "2016-09-12T11:53:27Z")
Hmm, a dilemma: I have just read a good con novel, based on a modern variation on one of the classic cons mentioned above. However, it’s presented as being a straight crime novel, and the reader discovers that it’s all a big con at pretty much the same time as the protagonists/marks do. The dilemma is that if I name it in this thread, you’ll read it in full knowledge that you’re dealing with a con rather than a murder mystery which will make for a different, albeit not necessarily worse, experience. And if I don’t, then you won’t know about it. Thanks to the magic of spoiler tags, of course, that’s not really my dilemma. It’s yours: Christopher Brookmyre’s Dead Girl Walking ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/57 "2016-09-12T12:16:35Z")
Spielberg’s \*Catch Me If You Can \*is a very watchable biography of the real-life conman, Frank Abagnale. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/58 "2016-09-12T13:09:42Z")
In the fantasy novel sphere there’s the Gentleman thieves series starting with ‘Lies of Locke Lamora’ ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/59 "2016-09-12T15:00:28Z")
> [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](#): > > Spielberg’s \*Catch Me If You Can \*is a very watchable biography of the real-life conman, Frank Abagnale. The book is very good too. I haven’t seen the movie but I suspect the book has a good deal more detail and makes for a more interesting experience. ---
**Author:** ![MickNickMaggies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/59ef9b/32.png) [@MickNickMaggies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MickNickMaggies)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370/60 "2016-09-12T16:02:04Z")
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Confidence-Man](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Confidence-Man) Herman Melville’s (yes, that Melville) last novel. Pretty good. For novels, I think ‘Wings of the Dove’ might count? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/con-as-in-confidence-game-movies-and-novels/765370.md?page=4)