A good con game in the movies is always fun to watch. A con game played out by today’s top stars, led by the most popular director in the world, is a treat. But the fact that the con game in “Catch Me If You Can” is inspired by a true story makes it irresistable.

Leonardo DiCaprio puts in a solid performance as Frank Abagnale Jr., whose 1980 best-selling autobiography chronicled his escapades impersonating various professionals and passing millions of dollars in fake checks while still a teenager. DiCaprio captures Frank’s innocence and genuinely sweet nature that remains intact as he goes from well-adjusted family member to teen runaway to con artist.

Christopher Walken is pivotal as Frank’s father, whose own well-intentioned attempts to weasel his way out from under heavy financial difficulties are the sparks of inspiration for his son’s capers. As his idol sinks lower and lower into personal and financial decay, Frank keeps promising them both that he’s running the con just so they can get their old lifestyle back … but they both know he’s too addicted to stop until he’s caught.

Providing the excitement of the chase, with several very entertaining close calls, is Tom Hanks as stodgy FBI agent Carl Hanratty, who specializes in bank fraud. Although this is Hanks’ least flashy role ever, he creates a character who’s so fascinated by his quarry and so intent on tracking him down that he’s just as entertaining to watch as DiCaprio is on his wildly inventive and colorful flings. Hanks’ pronounced Boston accent is the only detraction from an otherwise absorbing character – it’s too reminiscent of Kevin Costner’s strained attempts to be a Kennedy soundalike in “Thirteen Days.”

Steven Spielberg shot “Catch Me If You Can” in a whirlwind 56 days, using very few soundstage sets and hundreds of existing locations made over to look like the mid-1960s. Coming off his last picture, the dark futuristic thriller “Minority Report,” Spielberg said he enjoyed the whiplash effect of shooting such a bright, upbeat film.

But that doesn’t mean “Catch Me” is fluffy. The movie strikes the right balance between drama and comedy and keeps the pace active, but not hurried. When the story leaves the con game to focus on the characters and their development, it’s just long enough for audiences to understand and empathize before Frank switches to a new identity or Hanratty hits on a new clue.

Viewers may be surprised to see veteran Spielberg soundtrack composer John Williams’ name appear during the mod 1960s-style animation and progressive jazz of the opening credits. Williams admits the score to “Catch Me If You Can” was a departure for him, but he clearly enjoyed writing in a Henry Mancini style that fits the mood and tone of the film perfectly.

And it’s the mood and tone of the 1960s that make the movie a success. The real Frank Abagnale Jr. couldn’t have pulled off his incredible scams in any other decade – he depended on technology that predated computers but allowed him to globe-hop with ease, and an open, trusting society that readily put faith in a snappy uniform and a charming smile. Three stars out of four