Il bidone

Roberto, Picasso and August are ‘professional swindlers’. They dress up as priests and cheat peasantsì, then they pretend to be government officers and swindle people living in emergency housing while promising them they’ll be assigned a house, and sell old coats to un-experienced filling station attendants telling them they are new . The three friends attend a New Year’s Eve party together, when Iris, Picasso’s wife, finds out what kind of business her husband is actually in. Augusto’s daughter is not aware of her father’s job either. One day, when she is at the cinema with her father, she finds out the truth, because one of Augusto’s victims recognizes and attacks him. Augusto is arrested in front of his daughter. As soon as he gets out of prison he joins the gang and dresses up as a cardinal to cheat people again, but this time the victim‘s daughter is paralytic and the money they received would have been used to support her. Augusto feels remorse and intends to give the money back. Later he changes his mind and tries to cheat the other swindlers, there is a fight and Augusto tries to escape; he falls into a gully and breaks his spine. The other members of the gang don’t help him, they take the money and run away. Augusto dies after much suffering.