An entertaining film

Rating: 7/10 (28 December 2005)

This movie is about the making and doings of an incredible con-man. The movie should NOT be seen as a biography of the real con-man (assuming that his co-authored autobiography is for real), since the interesting psychological background is made up and some of the incidents are fictitious. The movie uses a couple of framing devices to get started: the hunter goes to a French jail to get the hunted and take him back to the United States; the hunted is introduced on "What's My Line" ( a popular mid-century U.S. t.v. show). Then there is a flash-back to the hunted's childhood, and we watch his development into a con-man.
The pacing and characterizations are well done, and the viewer is kept pleasantly off-balance by both situations and switching empathy for the hunter and the hunted.
The period items (like the "What's My Line" bit, clothing, cars, ways of talking) do more than just ring true: they draw viewers back into that time and place.
Although the film is primarily entertainment, the story it tells gives one pause more than once. What does it mean that a teen-ager could pass himself off as a professional in various fields? Was he really driven to do what he did, or was he simply a rogue? (This latter question might be answered differently depending on whether one is discussing the movie or the book).