Criminal 2004

Starring Diego Luna and John C. Reilly, this sharp, character-driven con–drama follows Richard Gaddis, a small-time crook who believes that appearances matter just as much as cleverness. To pull off bigger schemes, he dresses the part of a respectable businessman, convinced that looking the part is essential to earning trust and evading suspicion.

Gaddis sets his sights on a new partner to execute more sophisticated cons and soon spots Rodrigo, a young man flashing a knack for small-time deceit in a casino-bar. When Rodrigo is caught, Gaddis steps in as a pretend vice officer to save him, turning danger into a shared opportunity. Rodrigo’s contribution is a faces and a naïve demeanor so trustworthy that he can con almost anyone, while Richard remains wholly unprincipled and devilishly clever. After several tests designed to gauge Rodrigo’s trustworthiness, they agree to partner up.

Rodrigo accepts the alliance, but only if he receives a cut of the proceeds to help his ailing father, who is in trouble because of gambling debts. Richard agrees, and they set their sights on selling a fraudulent version of a silver certificate currency note to William Hannigan, a rich collector who is in town.

The scheme grows more tangled when Hannigan takes a liking to Valerie, Gaddis’s sister and a hotel concierge, pulling her into the plan. The expansion comes at a cost: Richard must pressure his own brother, Michael, to admit that he was cheated out of his share of the inheritance. As the con unfolds, the plot twists continually, with each character becoming more deeply invested, and Richard’s scheming nature driving him to try and cheat Rodrigo, Valerie, and Michael out of their portions.

In a twist ending, it is revealed that all the major players involved, including Rodrigo and Hannigan, were playing a “confidence game” against Gaddis from the very beginning, so that Valerie and Michael could rightfully take their share of their inheritance.