Yeah dude, he's probably illiterate. Why would a guy like that ever need to learn how to read or write?

cut the first paragraph and you have a great article
The thing about Citizen Kane and Star Wars and the Wild Bunch is that the version you're seeing is the one that's been edited. David Mamet isn't suggesting that you cut the first 10 minutes of films that have already been edited. He's suggesting the first thing…

I'm guessing "Recon" is probably one of those double-meaning things. It could be read as "re-con", i.e. being a con man all over again in the alternate reality.