6 Best Pickpocket and Con Artist Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 15, 2026

Nimble fingers and street-smart charm make for entertaining crime tales. Focus has a veteran con artist taking a novice thief under his wing, Paper Moon has a small-time con man and a sharp-tongued girl swindling across Depression-era America, and Confidence has a con artist assembling a crew for one last grift. Oliver!, Oliver Twist and Slumdog Millionaire round out the six.

Focus (2015)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A veteran con artist takes a novice thief under his wing before their old partnership resurfaces during a high-stakes job.

Directed by John Requa & Glenn Ficarra · 1h 45m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Starz, Starz Apple TV channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A rags-to-riches structure told through game-show trivia.

Directed by Danny Boyle · 2h 01m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Apple TV Store

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Confidence (2003)

TMDB ★ 6.3

A con artist assembles a crew for one final, elaborate grift against a ruthless crime boss.

Directed by James Foley · 1h 37m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Paper Moon (1973)

TMDB ★ 7.9

A small-time con man and a sharp-tongued orphan girl team up to swindle their way across Depression-era America.

Directed by Peter Bogdanovich · 1h 42m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Oliver! (1968)

IMDb ★ 7.4 RT 90% Metacritic 74

An orphan falls in with a gang of pickpockets on the streets of Dickensian London.

Directed by Carol Reed · 2h 33m · Rated G

Won 5 Oscars13 wins & 25 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Oliver Twist (1948)

TMDB ★ 7.6

An orphaned boy falls in with a gang of young pickpockets led by a cunning criminal mastermind.

Directed by David Lean · 2h 01m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, FlixFling, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Pickpocket and Con Artist Movies

Focus (2015)

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Confidence (2003)

Paper Moon (1973)

Oliver! (1968)

Oliver Twist (1948)

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