Con Artists in Cinema Self-Knowledge, Female Power, and Love

This book examines the con artist film as a genre, exploring its main features while also addressing variations within it. The volume explores three diverse themes of the con artist film: edification, self-awareness, and liberation through con games; the femme fatale as con artist; and romantic love as a plot point. Analyzing movies such as Matchstick Men (2003), House of Games (1987), Body Heat (1981), The Last Seduction (1994), Birthday Girl (2001), and The Game (1997), the book also explores their psychological investigation of the con artist figure, the con artist’s mark, and how the dynamic between these roles implicates us as the audience. It also addresses the con artist film genre’s close association with neo-noir, especially through the femme fatale figure, investigating and updating the rich tradition of noir film. Demonstrating the range and flexibility of this understudied genre, this book will be of interest to scholars and students of film studies, ethics, and those studying the representation of women in film..

Introduction 1, Con Artist’s Comeuppance and Cure: Matchstick Men 2. Revenge and Self-Knowledge: House of Games 3. The Femme Fatale as Con Artist: Body Heat 4. Improvising on the Run: The Last Seduction 5. Con Game as Prelude to Love: Birthday Girl 6. The Game of Brotherly Love Index

Joseph H. Kupfer is University Professor of Philosophy at Iowa State University, USA