by Chris Alexion, Copyright October 16, 2006, all rights reserved. 334 views
Since the Clooney-Pitt-Roberts-Damon remake of Ocean's Eleven is one of my favorite films, it got me thinking about other con/heist films (Italian Job, The Sting), as well as the con itself. I started wondering what makes con men successful. How do people fall for these things?
If we take the sleazy Irish guy Lonnegan targeted by Newman and Redford in The Sting, it seems that pride is a big factor. If you recall, Lonnegen was hacked off when Newman outcheated him in cards. Newman then sent Redford with a pitch: I'll help you get back at Newman by winning at Newman's horse betting establishment. Redford feeds his mark enough true information to gain his trust, causing him to bet big and lose in the final sting.
Pride is the whole driving force, the line that Newman and Redford use to reel in their fish. The smart from being outcheated and the desire for payback blinded Lonnegan to what was going on around him. He literally believed what he wanted to believe–until it was too late.
Greed is another human tendency that makes the con work. Take the Pigeon Drop grift Redford uses early in the movie. The scam assumes that the mark will desire to take the cash for himself, whereas someone else might call the police and see that the money is properly taken care of. When the grifter switches the packages, the mark gets nothing. Greed, like pride, blinds the target of many common cons and scams. (For instance, the scheme of selling the mark "stolen" stuff that's actually worthless.)
In fact, an old saying points this out. It goes, "You can't cheat an honest man."
1 • Hans Bluedorn • November 08, 2006 • 9:31 PM
Chris,
I liked this review. You used descriptions of segments of movies as a springboard to make a short and usefull point.
Hans
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