Skin Game

To market, to market, to sell your best friend, then split up the money and do it again.

1971 • 102 min • Action · Comedy · Western

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Synopsis

Quincy Drew and Jason O’Rourke, a pair of friends and con men—the former white, the latter a Northern-born free Black man— travel from town to town in the pre–Civil War American West. In their scam, Quincy sells Jason into slavery, frees him, and the two move on to the next town of suckers . . . until a con gone wrong leads Jason into real danger.

Our family guide

Best from age 10

Movie Knight Score

37 reviews

100 Reviewers · 1 · 59%
66 Audience · 36 · 41%

Two con men, one white and one a free Black man, travel the pre-Civil War West. They repeatedly stage a scam where one sells the other into slavery, only for the "sold" man to escape. Their scheme hits a snag when one con goes wrong, putting them both in real peril.

Violence & peril: 3/10
Language: 2/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking: 2/10
Romance & sensuality: 1/10
Scary moments: 3/10

Heads up

Depiction of slavery, though central to the plot, may be disturbing.
Characters engage in con artistry.
Some mild Western-style brawling.

What it models well

Friendship and loyalty
Resourcefulness and wit
Fighting injustice

Talk about it after

The history of slavery and its impact
The morality of con artistry
Prejudice and racial discrimination
The meaning of freedom

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for Skin Game. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.

Where to watch

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Top billed cast

Director: Paul Bogart • Crew: Peter Stone

Trailers & clips

Skin Game - Trailer

Reviewer notes

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers
Skin Con! Skin Game is predominantly directed by Paul Bogart and written by Richard Alan Simmons and Peter Stone. It stars James Garner, Louis Gossett Jr., Susan Clark, Brenda Sykes, Edward Asner and Andrew Duggan. Music is by David Shire and cinematography by Fred J. Koenekamp.…
John Chard, TMDB Community