The Magnificent Fraud

Half a Sinner

June 1934 •English

A con man poses as a hillbilly preacher.

Catch Me If You Can

December 2002 •English

A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr. who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor. An FBI agent makes it his mission to put him behind bars. But Frank not only eludes capture, he revels in the pursuit.

Our Mother's House

September 1967 •English

Seven British children bury their mother and hide her death, until their long-lost father returns.

Matchstick Men

September 2003 •English

A phobic con artist and his protege are on the verge of pulling off a lucrative swindle when the con artist's teenage daughter arrives unexpectedly.

Me Too

October 2023 •Persian

Four acting students are accusing a famous cinema director of causing the death of their friend as a result of her being raped by him.

Finding Ramlee

June 2025 •Malay

To pay his debts, a small-time actor is forced to impersonate screen icon P. Ramlee.

Baghead

January 2008 •English

Four actors go to a cabin in the woods to write, direct, and act in a film that will jump-start their careers. Their idea is a horror film about a man with a bag over his head, but what happens when that man mysteriously shows up?

Pacific Heights

September 1990 •English

A couple works hard to renovate their dream house and become landlords to pay for it. Unfortunately one of their tenants has plans of his own.

Phantoms, Inc.

June 1945 •English

This Crime Does Not Pay entry focuses on fake spiritualists. A mother is worried about her son, who is missing in action. Over time, she gives a con man all of the family savings to find reassurance that her son is all right. When she can no longer pay, events take a tragic turn.

Bellevue

June 1969 •Czech

The Man Who Wasn't There

October 2001 •English

A tale of murder, crime and punishment set in the summer of 1949. Ed Crane, a barber in a small California town, is dissatisfied with his life, but his wife Doris' infidelity and a mysterious opportunity presents him with a chance to change it.

I Love You Phillip Morris

February 2010 •English

Steven Russell leads a seemingly average life – an organ player in the local church, happily married to Debbie, and a member of the local police force. That is until he has a severe car accident that leads him to the ultimate epiphany: he’s gay and he’s going to live life to the fullest – even if he has to break the law to do it. Taking on an extravagant lifestyle, Steven turns to cons and fraud to make ends meet and is eventually sent to the State Penitentiary where he meets the love of his life, a sensitive, soft-spoken man named Phillip Morris. His devotion to freeing Phillip from jail and building the perfect life together prompts him to attempt (and often succeed at) one impossible con after another.

War of Lie

January 2017 •Japanese

Paper Moon

May 1973 •English

A bible salesman finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership as a money-making con team in Depression-era Kansas.

The Sting

December 1973 •English

A novice con man teams up with an acknowledged master to avenge the murder of a mutual friend by pulling off the ultimate big con and swindling a fortune from a big-time mobster.

Bespoke Dad

Invalid date •English

Bespoke Dad is a 10min Family Drama produced by Prickle Production. From the outside, the family looks faultless, a caring, home-proud mother, a bright daughter with an even brighter future and a slightly distant but otherwise perfect Dad. In reality, the Dad isn’t the Dad; he’s an actor paid by the Mum. His job is to help raise her daughter, begin there to give fatherly advice and provide a traditional upbringing. He does this for multiple families, but a needy client puts his secret at risk.

The Man Who Would Be King

December 1975 •English

A robust adventure about two British adventurers who take over primitive Kafiristan as "godlike" rulers, meeting a tragic end through their desire for a native girl. Based on a short story by Rudyard Kipling.

The Wendell Baker Story

August 2005 •English

Luke Wilson plays a good-hearted ex-con who gets a job in a retirement hotel. Three elderly residents help him win back his girlfriend as he lends them a hand in fighting hotel corruption.

Panoh

July 2007 •Uzbek

A wealthy man hires two bodyguards, one a former paratrooper (Qodirov) and the other just released from prison (Soipov), to protect his two daughters, Gulnoza (Ashurboeva) and Dilnoza (Eshonqulova). Whilst at first the girls are reluctant to accept their fate, they soon realise how lucky they are to have the two young men in their lives…

Six Degrees of Separation

December 1993 •English

The story of a young, gay, black, con artist who, posing as the son of Sidney Poitier, cunningly maneuvers his way into the lives of a white, upper-class New York family.