Con Man (DVD)

Just viewed this newly released film by Bruce Caulk. It's the true story about the life and times of Barry Minkow, a teenage fraudster who, in the mid-'80's, ripped-off Wall Street for million$ and then went to prison. It's a great study in ego, downfall, resurrection, and then, lessons unlearned, further downfall. A great cautionary tale worth watching. The action details Minkow's emergence as the "Whiz Kid" (I was living in San Diego then; Barry truly got an AMAZING amount of press) of Los Angeles using systemic ill-gotten gains. Then, upon initial release from prison, he becomes a very successful pastor for a large Christian church congregation in San Diego… a second story develops from there. It's a genuine miracle this film ever got released. The difficult multi-year production journey director Bruce Caulk had with Barry Minkow (and a host of other characters) should be made into a case study for film schools; the backstory of the making of Con Man is truly worthy of its own feature. If there was an Academy Award for Professional Courage and Perseverance in the face of insurmountable challenges beyond one's control, Con Man Director Bruce Caulk would win it hands-down. Bruce is a highly creative, on-time/on-budget, seriously committed director. There are some great scenes in this film. Pay attention to Mark Hamill's eyes and facial reactions... they're brilliant, as is Talia Shire's bathroom scene as Barry's concerned mother, and Armand Assante is very credible as a Mafia boss. The other veteran actors in the cast turn-in solid performances, as well. And Justin Baldoni absolutely captures the zeitgeist of Minkow as ZZZZ Best Carpet Cleaning's Founder and CEO. Bravo to Bruce Caulk, the cast, and the crew for finally getting Con Man out for release. For reasons that will become self-evident in the story, this film, essentially, had to be flipped on its head after it was originally “in the can.” Enjoy the memorable ride…