1. Swindle Rich Old Ladies Out Of Their Cash - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
While most of us prefer to earn our living the honest way without causing harm to others, those lacking in scruples are more than happy to use deception and charm to beguile fortunes out of gullible rich people. The only thing worse than an unscrupulous conman is - you guessed it - two unscrupulous con men. Another 1980s movie gem, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels stars Michael Caine and Steve Martin as two con men who compete with one another to swindle $50,000 out of an old woman. Add to the mix another mysterious con artist known only as The Jackal and the stage is set for a comedy of manners in which it's not entirely clear exactly who's being conned by whom until the final reel. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a classic 80s comedy with the charm and pace of a classic 60s comedy set amidst a roster of exotic locations which certainly suggests that the two con men aren't exactly short of cash to begin with. It also leaves the audience on a final note which reflects one of the greatest truisms of our times - if you want to make a huge sum of money, having a fortune in the first place makes it so much easier. As Leonard Cohen says in his song Everybody Knows, "the poor stay poor, the rich get rich."
