You loved the fake pilot, the charm and the chase. Here are eight real-life schemes with the same itch, counted down from fine to fight-worthy.
Number one is a Spielberg pick that will start a comment war.
- 8
Critics hated it. The Catch Me crowd will not.
Same rise-and-fall charm, a true story, Johnny Depp grinning through decades of bad choices. Critics beat only 36% of movies, audiences 82%. That gap is the whole vibe.
- 7
Channing Tatum plays the politest criminal you'll ever root for.
A charming true-story crook living a double life, just like Frank. Small swing at a reported $19M budget, and 87% on Rotten Tomatoes says it lands.
- 6
The Hanks-chases-DiCaprio setup, with Denzel making it scarier.
A stubborn honest cop hunting a guy who's always one step ahead. Russell Crowe does the Carl Hanratty grind, and it made $269.8M worldwide.
- 5
Frank's fake IDs, except getting caught isn't an option.
Johnny Depp living a lie undercover, and the lie starts eating the man. Same identity games, way higher stakes. 8.1 movie.guru score.
- 4
The best true-story scheme that falls apart in real time.
A 1970s plan, a charming guy improvising, and a crowd cheering for the wrong side. Made on a reported $3.8M and pulled $50M domestic.
- 3
The FBI half of Catch Me, stretched into a whole movie.
Patient people chasing paper trails until the truth cracks open. If Hanks checking bank records was your favorite part, this is your 9.6.
- 2
The greatest rise-and-fall voiceover ever. Catch Me borrowed the energy.
A young guy seduced by the fast life, a real story, period music, narration that winks at you. 9.7 movie.guru score on a reported $25M budget.
- 1
Spielberg's real con-man movie, and the con man is Abe.
Period Spielberg, a guy bending every rule to win, and backroom deals to land votes. It's a political caper in a top hat. 8.5 score, $182.2M domestic.
Change my mind. Rank these from most to least Catch Me If You Can energy. Wrong answers only for #1.
$6.37 says someone types 'that is not a con movie' under #1 before they finish reading the why.
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Current mood: ready to fight about it