Top 10 Biopics About Con Artists and Swindlers

Description: This neo-noir film revolves around a small-time con artist, his mother, and his girlfriend, all involved in various scams, exploring the dark side of the con world and the complex relationships within it.

Fact: The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Director for Stephen Frears. John Cusack learned to perform real con tricks for his role.

Description: Tom Ripley, a young man with a talent for mimicry and manipulation, is sent to Italy to bring back a rich man's son, but his obsession leads to murder and identity theft.

Fact: The film's ending was changed from the book to provide a more ambiguous conclusion, leaving viewers to ponder Ripley's fate.

Description: This film chronicles the life of Frank Abagnale Jr., who before his 19th birthday, successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars by posing as a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a legal prosecutor. It's a rollercoaster ride of charm, deception, and the cat-and-mouse game with the FBI.

Fact: Leonardo DiCaprio did not meet the real Frank Abagnale Jr. until after the film was completed. The film's title is taken from a challenge Abagnale made to the FBI.

Description: A story of two con artists, one of whom is a compulsive, agoraphobic grifter, who takes on a teenage daughter he never knew he had, leading to unexpected changes in his life and his cons.

Fact: Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell spent time with real con artists to prepare for their roles. The film's ending was kept secret from the actors until the last day of shooting.

Description: Based on the true story of Clifford Irving, who wrote a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes, this film delves into the lengths Irving went to convince the world of his hoax.

Fact: Richard Gere, who plays Irving, was initially reluctant to take the role, feeling it was too close to his own life at the time.

Description: Based on the memoir by Jordan Belfort, this film dives into the excesses of Wall Street in the 1990s, showcasing Belfort's rise as a stockbroker who engaged in rampant corruption and fraud, leading to his eventual downfall.

Fact: The film holds the record for the most uses of the F-word in a mainstream film, with over 500 instances. Belfort himself was paid $1 million for the rights to his story.

Description: Mark Whitacre, an executive at Archer Daniels Midland, turns whistleblower on his company's price-fixing activities, but his own involvement in the schemes complicates the investigation.

Fact: The film's title uses an exclamation mark to reflect the tone of the book it's based on, which was written in a humorous, almost satirical style.

Description: This film explains the complex financial crisis of 2007-2008 through the eyes of several characters who predicted and bet against the housing market, making fortunes while the world economy crumbled.

Fact: The film uses celebrities like Margot Robbie and Selena Gomez to explain financial jargon in a humorous and accessible way. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning Best Adapted Screenplay.

Description: Inspired by the FBI Abscam operation in the late '70s and early '80s, this film follows a con man and his lover who are forced to work with an FBI agent to turn the tables on other con artists and corrupt politicians.

Fact: The film's title was changed from "American Bullshit" to "American Hustle" to avoid an R rating. Christian Bale gained 43 pounds for his role.

Description: While not strictly about a con artist, this film features a Hungarian-American lawyer who uncovers her father's dark past as a Nazi war criminal, exploring themes of deception and hidden identities.

Fact: Jessica Tandy won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in this film, making her the oldest person to win an acting Oscar at the time.