Screen Hustles, Grifts and Stings

"This book about the con shows an old pro at the top of her game. Amy Sargeant has assembled a rogues' gallery of amoral, (borderline) psychopathic salesmen, Nietzschean self-inventors all, whose strategems evoke both the workings of the dream factory itself and the depthless facade of our collective 'Big Store'. There's a wealth of reference and analysis here: from astute commentary on classics both cinematic and literary (Br'er Rabbit!) to close readings of recent examples of the genre. Presiding 'Master of the Con' is David Mamet, with whom Sargeant shares the rare talent not to waste a word." Tom Paulus, Professor of Film and Theatre Studies, University of Antwerp, Belgium, editor (with Rob King) of AFI Film Reader Slapstick Comedy.

Screen Hustles, Grifts and Stings identifies recurrent themes and techniques of the con film, suggests precedents in literature and discusses the perennial appeal of the con man for readers and viewers alike. The best con films, it is suggested, invite re-watching and reward the viewer accordingly: who is complicit and when?

Screen Hustles, Grifts and Stings identifies recurrent themes and techniques of the con film, suggests precedents in literature and discusses the perennial appeal of the con man for readers and viewers alike. Core studies span from film (Catch Me If You Can, Paper Moon, House of Games) to television (Hustle), from Noir (The Grifters) to Romantic Comedy (Gambit). Frequently, the execution of the con is only finely distinguishable from the conduct of a legitimate profession and, challengingly, a mark is often shown to be culpable in his or her undoing. The best con films, it is suggested, invite re-watching and reward the viewer accordingly: who is complicit and when? How and where is the con achieved? When is the viewer party to the con? And what, if any, moral is to be drawn?