Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Lawrence and Freddie are con-men; big-time and small time respectively. They unsuccessfully attempt…
- Director: Frank Oz
- Genre:Comedy / Crime
- Runtime:106 minutes
Cast
Steve Martin : Freddy Benson
Michael Caine : Lawrence Jamieson
Glenne Headly : Janet Colgate
Anton Rodgers : Inspector Andre
Barbara Harris : Fanny Eubanks
the watchful — and approving — eye of Inspector Andre, the resident chief of police who receives a cut of his take. Their only concern is a mysterious, anonymous character known only as “The Jackal” who has been preying on other wealthy victims of late.
When small-time American hustler Freddy Benson decides to search for easy marks in Beaumont-sur-Mer, Lawrence’s home base, Lawrence recognizes that the Jackal has shown his face. He agrees to school Freddy in the art of the con. Unbeknownst to Freddy, however, Lawrence only does this as a way to get rid of Freddy since Lawrence does not want a lowly competitor infringing on his territory.
When Freddy decides that he’s had enough of Lawrence’s humiliating tutelage and wants to go out on his own, Lawrence offers Freddy a challenge to see who will remain in Beaumont-sur-Mer, since there isn’t enough room for the two of them in the same small town. The first one to con $50,000 out of a selected mark will be allowed to stay, while the other must leave and never return to Beaumont-sur-Mer.
The two select Janet Colgate, a naive and wealthy American heiress, as their target and embark on their separate strategies while at the same time ruthlessly sabotaging each other. Freddy poses as a psychosomatically crippled soldier who needs to borrow $50,000 for treatment by a celebrated Liechtenstein psychiatrist. But when Lawrence discovers this scheme he pretends to be the doctor, insisting Freddy’s condition is one he can cure with the stipulation that Janet pays his $50,000 fee directly to him.
Lawrence discovers that Janet is not wealthy after all but on vacation as a contest winner. She plans to sell the remainder of her prizes and combine the proceeds with her father’s savings to finance Freddy’s phony treatment. Lawrence has always taken advantage of wealthy and corrupt members of society, but he does not take advantage of the poor and virtuous. Impressed by Janet’s innate goodness, Lawrence wants to call off the bet. Freddy suggests they change the challenge and make Janet herself the bet, with the first to bed her declared the winner. Lawrence refuses to try to “win,” agreeing only to bet that Freddy fails to do so. Read more
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