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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

PG12/14/1988Comedy, Crime1h 50m

Nice guys finish last. Meet the winners.

Overview

Con artist Lawrence Jamieson is a longtime resident of a luxurious coastal resort, where he enjoys the lavish fruits of his deceptions -- that is, until a competitor, Freddy Benson, shows up. When the new guy's lowbrow tactics impinge on his own sophisticated work and believing him to be the infamous conman 'The Jackal', Lawrence resolves to get rid of him. Confident of his own duplicitous talents, he challenges Freddy to a winner-takes-all competition: whoever swindles their latest mark, American heiress Janet Colgate, out of $50,000 first can stay, while the other must leave town.

Top Billed Cast

  1. Cast 1

    Steve Martin

    Freddy Benson

  2. Cast 1

    Michael Caine

    Lawrence Jamieson

  3. Cast 1

    Glenne Headly

    Janet Colgate

  4. Cast 1

    Anton Rodgers

    Inspector Andre

  5. Cast 1

    Barbara Harris

    Fanny Eubanks

  6. Cast 1

    Ian McDiarmid

    Arthur

  7. Cast 1

    Dana Ivey

    Mrs. Reed

  8. Cast 1

    Meagen Fay

    Lady from Oklahoma

  9. Cast 1

    Frances Conroy

    Lady from Palm Beach

"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is terrific fun all round and the luscious locations look absolutely gorgeous - the sun kissed French Riviera has never looked more inviting. The humour is genuinely funny and Michael Caine in particular is obviously enjoying himself tremendously in the guise of Doctor Emil Schaffhausen - he takes great pleasure in torturing a wheelchair-bound Steve Martin, especially during one scene where he vigorously whips his ankles repeatedly using a length of cane. It could have been a major miscalculation telling us from the outset that this film is all about con men. This in...