The Swindle
1955 · Movie · NR · 113 min · ★ 7.3 · 95% critics
An aging small-time conman teams up with two younger partners to run scams on ordinary people in a post-war Italy still finding its footing. As their schemes grow bolder, mishaps and personal complications pile up, and the group’s shaky loyalties are tested when things start to unravel.
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Details
- Original title
- Il bidone
- Years
- 1955
- Release date
- 1955-10-07
- Language
- Italian
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Critic score
- 95/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.3/10 (220 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a cynical, sometimes tender con-artist tale with dark humor and a grounded post-war mood, like I Vitelloni or Nights of Cabiria; Not for you if predictable endings frustrate you.
Pros: imaginative scams; cynical post-war backdrop; heart-tugging with humor | Cons: crime-noir stereotypes; predictable ending; underwhelming wrap-up
Themes
- con man
- black and white
Cast & crew
Broderick Crawford
as Augusto
Giulietta Masina
as Iris
Richard Basehart
as Carlo
Franco Fabrizi
as Roberto
- SB
Sue Ellen Blake
as Susanna
Irene Cefaro
as Marisa
- AA
Alberto De Amicis
as Rinaldo
Lorella De Luca
as Patrizia, Augusto's Daughter
- GG
Giacomo Gabrielli
as Baron Vargas
Riccardo Garrone
as Riccardo
Directed by Federico Fellini