acting within acting

Rating: 7/10 (31 October 2006)

This works for much the same reason Shakespeare works with women characters dressing as boys in the play where the original actor is a boy playing a woman. Di Caprio plays a con man who is a consummate actor. Since his skill at conning is identical to di Caprio's acting skill in the movie, his schemes blend seamlessly. His ability to fool people seems completely natural.
The plot whips along at a galloping pace.
Actors like Tom Hanks and Robert De Niro seem wasted in this movie. Hanks plays a very bland uninteresting cop. The role could have been played by any balding TV cop.
This is based on a true character. Truth is stranger than fiction, especially some of his escapes.