# movies based on the perfect crime

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-based-on-the-perfect-crime/357014>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 16, 2006, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-based-on-the-perfect-crime/357014 "2006-05-16T19:03:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-based-on-the-perfect-crime/357014/41 "2006-05-17T18:50:33Z")

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**Trading Places** with Murphy and Aykroyd, they get the cash and the girl at the end.

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**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-based-on-the-perfect-crime/357014/42 "2006-05-17T18:55:23Z")

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> [@cactus waltz](#):
>
> Actually…
> 
> That crime was very flawed and was a result of desperation, even if it was tactical. What made tha plan work was that the main character fails to throw out the landlady’s ring into the water, in a scene which mimicks the tennis monologue in the opening shot of the film. If the ring would have gone into the water, he would likely have been caught.

It was a perfect crime in that he got away with it in spite of its flaws. Just when you are sure he’s going down (and I really wanted that smarmy little punk to go down hard!), the ring twist pops into play in a way I never saw coming. I expected there to be his fingerprints all over it.

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**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-based-on-the-perfect-crime/357014/43 "2006-05-17T19:59:54Z")

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**Bob le Flambeur** , about a casino heist. Bob is, like, ultra-cool. And the movie ends with a straight-faced joke.

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**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-based-on-the-perfect-crime/357014/44 "2006-05-17T20:32:35Z")

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> [@mack](#):
>
> **The Talented Mr. Ripley** , if I remember correctly.

Actually,

It’s far from the perfect crime, at least in the movie. After he kills Dickie (in the heat of the moment, rarely conducive to criminal perfection) he has to kill Freddie to cover it up. Marge knows he’s guilty and will continue trying to prove it. He runs into Meredith on the boat and as a result has to kill Peter. A crime where you have to kill two more people and at least one more person who knows the truth remains alive can’t IMHO be considered perfect.

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