10 Best Con Man Movies

Steven Spielberg blended his common themes of paternal abandonment in this retelling of the many lives of Frank Abagnale, Jr., a man whose life was so spectacular it practically begged to have a movie made about it.

Spielberg isn't unaware of this, opening with a re-enactment of Abagnale's appearance on 70s panel show To Tell The Truth, still flaunting his fame at the feds while also working for them.

The world of the con artist, one imagines, is a lonely one, and never before has someone blatantly scamming free rides from airlines, practicing both law and medicine without a degree and breaking the heart of a naive southern belle look more appealing. Its attraction, however, isn't to the excessive wealth of the jetsetting Abagnale, but instead to the same innocence of his would-be bride. At heart, he' s still just a kid on an adventure.

He's given more consideration than most con men in film - who are generally two-bit swindlers or high stakes wise men. Abagnale's motive behind constant re-invention is even pure: it's driven out of a lack of strong paternal leadership and only set right when another father figure (Tom Hanks' FBI agent) steps up to the job.