Nine Queens is one of a long line of con artist films. It’s in Spanish and was remade in English as Criminals. Though I really wouldn’t classify this as a thriller, it does have intrigue and it’s an excellent film. We love well-done con artists films because like mysteries, we like to see if we can catch them in the act. These films cross genres:
Bio Pic (Catch Me if You Can), Comedy (Housesitter, Heartbreakers, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Drama (Six Degrees of Separation, American Hustle, The Spanish Prisoner), Action (The Big Bounce, Now You See Me, 21), Musical (The Music Man), and Thriller (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Glengarry Glen Ross). There’s the father/daughter Paper Moon and the Academy Award winning The Sting.
Bio Pic (Catch Me if You Can), Comedy (Housesitter, Heartbreakers, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), Drama (Six Degrees of Separation, American Hustle, The Spanish Prisoner), Action (The Big Bounce, Now You See Me, 21), Musical (The Music Man), and Thriller (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Glengarry Glen Ross). There’s the father/daughter Paper Moon and the Academy Award winning The Sting.
This film is about a family full of con artists.
These actors are all at the top of their game. The entertainment value of these films lies predominantly on there being a surprising Plot Twist or two. Plot twists can happen anywhere in the story, but they often have a drastic effect on the action. They only work if they are unexpected. While a twist may be foreshadowed, it’s not necessary. If it happens too close to the ending, it’s not really a twist but more a surprise ending. Its function is to keep us guessing. Nobody likes a story they can predict. Plot Twists allow storytellers to shake things up. That way we stay involved in the story as an experience rather than mere entertainment.
Here are some of my favorite films with ginormous plot twists:
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