Cunning is one of the qualities that fascinates the big screen the most. It’s not just about intelligence or strategy, but that subtle ability capable of changing a character’s destiny with a single move. Cinema has managed to portray it in countless ways: from the elegant con to the magic of illusion, from romantic deception to the perfectly orchestrated heist.

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Timeless classics

Some films have rightfully entered the history of cinema thanks to the way they turned cleverness into an art. An unforgettable example is The Sting (George Roy Hill, 1973; pictured above), with Paul Newman and Robert Redford, where the con becomes a meticulously choreographed dance of tricks and counter-moves.

The same charm can be found in Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Steven Soderbergh’s film starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, in which a team of masterminds pulls off a textbook heist in Las Vegas. Here, cleverness becomes a collective effort: each member has a precise role, and success depends on the ability to fit every move together like pieces of a perfect puzzle.

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Focus: a film asd metaphor

If the classics consecrated the con as spectacle, Focus (Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, 2015) added a new layer of interpretation. Will Smith and Margot Robbie play two professional con artists who use the game as a tool for teamwork, cleverness, and revenge.

The scenes set among bets, bluffs, and illusions highlight how reading the opponent and timing are crucial. It’s impossible not to draw a parallel with real gaming tables, where cunning can change the outcome of a match: think of experiences like NetBet Blackjack, where calculation and psychological analysis are just as decisive as luck. In Focus, entertainment itself becomes the protagonists’ language – the way they communicate and test their own limits.

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Magic and deception

There are also films that merge the theme of cunning with the world of magic and illusion. Now You See Me (Louis Leterrier, 2013), for example, takes the audience into a universe where sleight of hand and cleverness intertwine, turning crime into spectacle. Similarly, 21 (Robert Luketic, 2008) tells the true story of a group of MIT students who, through card counting, manage to beat the casinos. Here, cunning becomes applied mathematics—a silent, calculated weapon.

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Cunning as a social weapon

There are also films that move cleverness beyond the casino, turning it into a tool of social power. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), directed by Martin Scorsese, shows how Jordan Belfort’s ingenuity and audacity transform into wealth and success, but also into self-destruction. Likewise, Catch Me If You Can (Steven Spielberg, 2002), with Leonardo DiCaprio as con artist Frank Abagnale Jr., is an example of how cunning can become a form of survival and personal redemption

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Films that time cannot erase

From the retro charm of The Sting to the dynamism of Focus, and the illusions of Now You See Me, cinema has always given space to characters who thrive on cunning and deception. In some cases, cleverness is complicity, in others rebellion, and in still others pure survival. These are films that offer more than one key to interpretation: entertainment, reflection, and often admiration for those who manage to overturn the rules of the game. That’s why they remain timeless cult classics, capable of resisting the passage of time and captivating different generations.