A story of how gullible people can be.

Rating: 6/10 (11 June 2003)

When I first saw this film it scared me. This movie although funny and engrossing tends to remind me of just how much we assume things in our daily lives.
I found myself going to the doctor a few days later and thinking to myself "what if one of those nurses came out without that white coat on. I mean is the fact they have the coat on that makes you think they're a nurse or the fact they came from behind that door. What I loved about this film and in fact the whole thing was this kid actually did all these things for so long just because people took for granted he was who he says he was.

I have talked to some people who work at hospitals who tell me they wear the white coat not because they are required to but because people give them less problems when they do. I talked to several nurses who told me when they don't have their whites on patients have actually screamed and harassed them out of their rooms cause they though they weren't real nurses and were there to kill them. Cops too, I spoke to several cops who said that when they are off duty people don't stop for them even when they flash their badges. One told me he has actually had several people get off cause they told the jury the badge looked fake, and he didn't look like a real cop. Also several people who have worked at banks tell me they have seen the real guy before as he did several educational films for various banks about how to spot bad checks. Apparently he really was that original when he was young, and after he was caught banks changed security procedures for good. Not many criminal can say their actions changed a industry, much less now work for the industry as experts.
These days people a allot more jaded then when these events took place and people have a more inquisitive nature. But as 9/11 showed us things are still not perfect if really better at all.
My favorite scene in this film is when he becomes the head of the department at the hospital. The two doctors look scared and all he does it what he saw on TV. I think he was watching General Hospital or something, but I am not sure.
I like the acting in this film especially Walken, Hanks character was really drool but from what I heard in interviews, that was the way the guy really is. Leo does well in this as usual. The film is well paced and believable. People can argue about all the things in this movie that are wrong. To me though this movie is about a kid who wants to help his father so he can get back with his mother and they can be a family again. Once he realizes he has gone to far, he keeps going and does what he can to go on with his life. He had one h*ll of a ride though and he knew it. It is a good story that is well told and well acted. When I go to see a film that's what I'm looking for.