Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

1988 "Nice guys finish last. Meet the winners."
7.4| 1h50m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 14 December 1988 Released
Producted By: Orion Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Con artist Lawrence Jamieson is a longtime resident of a luxurious coastal resort, where he enjoys the lavish fruits of his deceptions -- that is, until a competitor, Freddy Benson, shows up. When the new guy's lowbrow tactics impinge on his own sophisticated work and believing him to be the infamous conman 'The Jackal', Lawrence resolves to get rid of him. Confident of his own duplicitous talents, he challenges Freddy to a winner-takes-all competition: whoever swindles their latest mark, American heiress Janet Colgate, out of $50,000 first can stay, while the other must leave town.

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Reviews

Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
ManiakJiggy This is How Movies Should Be Made
Mjeteconer Just perfect...
Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
merelyaninnuendo Dirty Rotten ScoundrelsDirty Rotten Scoundrels is a plot driven comedy about two hustlers striking their horns against each other to prove the superiority by pulling out an impossible con. Such feature requires unbreakable chemistry that is bang on your bucks and it has got it right where at first it might raise questions but both the lead actors strikes in sync. The comic timing is off the charts by Martin but the surprising package is Caine and his range of accents who is a match for Martin. Each gags in here are essential and aren't mere hoax that is pulled off to just reach the end point. It is filled with few typical comic sketches but is slipped in so nicely that it doesn't seem forced if anything, goes with the flow and makes sense in its own world. The writing is flat out hilarious and gripping with an overstretched view but is also justifying for the audience and feasible for the makers. It falls flatly on face on technical aspects like background score, cinematography, sound department and editing although the camera work is decently handled with bright and shiny visuals and breezy and colorful locations that makes it pleasing to encounter. As mentioned earlier, the performance is aptly acted out on the comic sequences but also gets few emotional touches right, like when Headly reveals about her character, Caine pours his soul into it. Oz; the director, keeps it light and crispy and wisely doesn't go cheesy or over chews its moments which is a trap that easily such genre gets dragged into. Gripping screenplay, hilarious references mentioned in conversations and Martin's physical comic timing are the high points of the feature. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels has enough meat to feed off the audience for its runtime but it still is hollow and safe if cracked open and explored in it.
Mr-Fusion "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" was never really on my radar until my first meal with my (future) in-laws. Hearing the hijinks of Ruprecht the monkey boy will make anyone want to watch this. And I've loved it ever since.What makes this function so well (aside from the smart script) is the casting. Michael Cain's cultured straight man works exceedingly well with Steve Martin's wackiness. They're chemistry between the two leads, and both offer great performances. Glenne Headly is the unsung element; she fits in well with the other players, but when she shows up with that New York accent, it almost turns the whole movie on its head. Terrific stuff.As for Ruprecht . . . well, to me, it's some of Martin's funniest material. The eyepatch, corked fork, the pots and pans. It's brilliantly unhinged.8/10
Shady Janzeir The swagger, panache and pizazz of the 1960s blend with the me-me spirit of the 1980s for a fun romp that, despite the sheer absurdity of it all, never fails to thrill and entertain at every twist and turn of the tightly written, surprise-filled plot. Michael Caine plays His Un-Highness to a tee, Steve Martin probably never needed Frank Oz to tell him just how to make sleaze adorable, and Glenne Headly expertly turns that audacious 60s charm all the way up to 11. The final two minutes probably contain more surprises and rapturous laughs than a 10-season sitcom, so much so that it would have been a prime premise for a sequel.
Hacim Llih (techiner) If one scans my, wide-screen ONLY, and anally maintained DVD collection, you will find of the vast majority (80%) are dark, ideally SciFi, even noir psych thrillers. The remaining include a few blockbuster Marvel action movies (10%) and some unique documentaries (5%), and the last few are comedies. Comedy movies overall seem too immature for my tastes as a rule. I do not suffer the silly for silly's sake frat comedies well at all.. much less the high school and least of all the "Dumb & Dumber" fare.And yet.. this is one of my all time favorite comedies. Is it quite silly on occasion? Indeed. Is it somehow brilliant above all others? Doubtful. Yet it is so 'brilliantly' absurd in it's timing.. while being quite sexy due it's lovely and charming femme fatale character too.. and ends up being almost shockingly hilarious.Add the locations of the scenes.. and the absolutely brilliant presence of Sir Michael Caine.. mix in just the tolerable amount of Steve Martin's zany factor.. and this film stands up against all comedies throughout the film eras experienced during my 'fitty-five' years far above almost all others seen! #Bravo!