Catch me if You Can (2002)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenplay: Jeff Nathanson (based on the book by Frank William Abagnale Jr.)
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Amy Adams 
Music: John Williams
Time: 141 minutes
Bottom-line: A breezy entertainer

Two of my favourite actors, and one of my favourite directors came together to make this film, Catch me If you Can, and I finally had the chance to watch the film. Based on the life of Frank William Abagnale Jr, a man who performed cons worth millions of dollars. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Frank, with Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Amy Adams, Nathalie Baye and many others playing the supporting roles. This may not be Spielberg’s work, but is as entertaining as any other classic, like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jaws.

DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale Jr. 

1963 – Frank Abagnale Jr., a teenager, lives in New York with his father, Frank Abagnale Sr. (Walken) and mother Paula (Baye). The family faces financial problems because of difficulties with the IRS, and the family is forced to move into a smaller apartment. As the situation becomes worse, Frank’s parents opt for a divorce, and at the same time, Frank runs away from home. Unable to earn money in simple ways, Frank relies on his confidence and boldness to successfully perform large scale scams, and he stashes up to 2.8 million dollars. Meanwhile, Carl Hanratty (Hanks), an FBI agent, is given the job of tracking down Frank. By the time he tracks Frank down, the latter has already impersonated an Airline Pilot, a Doctor, and a prosecutor. What else does Frank do, and that too before his 19th birthday? Watch the film to find out!

Hanks as Carl Hanratty

The first thing that caught my eye was the tagline of the film – The true story of a real fake. Now there are many films about heists, like the Ocean’s trilogy, Inception (in a way) etc, but why Catch me If You Can is different is because there is equal importance to everything – character development, humour, suspense, emotion and thrill. So this is a thriller that can be watched with family – a film that entertains everyone. The pace rarely slackens, and even if it does, don’t get bored – there is always a surprise around the corner.

Amy Adams as Brenda - a hospital
nurse and Frank's fiance 

There are many who say that Martin Scorsese is the one who moulded Leonardo DiCaprio into a good actor, and it is evident in the film. This was his next film after Gangs of New York, and one can see that his acting has greatly improved when compared to that film or even Titanic. He shows versatility in playing numerous roles – a pilot, a doctor, a lover (I guess that real Frank Abagnale Jr. was also impressed by Leo’s performance) and also in displaying the emotions and feelings of a teenager! On the other hand, the veteran actor, Tom Hanks has done an excellent job of playing Carl Hanratty. The encounters between these two characters are quite interesting to watch. Amy Adams is almost unrecognisable in her first major film, and she has done well too. Walken was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, but I still don’t see why – his acting seemed ordinary to me.

Walken as Frank Abagnale Sr. 

In terms of background music, the film is no different – I have loved the score in every film where John Williams has composed it. In this film, I especially liked the opening sequence – an animated sequence showing the various disguises and roles Frank plays. This sequence is in fact, a summary of the film itself! The music is hypnotic, suspenseful, mysterious...everything out together – as good as what Williams has ever composed before. The real Frank Abagnale Jr. though did not personally involve in script-writing, believed that Spielberg was the only one who could bring justice to the film. He hoped that the film would be “entertaining, exciting, funny and bring home an important message about family, childhood and divorce", and that’s exactly what it does! In fact, a lesser known fact is that Spielberg’s parents also divorced when he was a teenager, similar to the situation experienced by Frank.

The real Frank Abagnale Jr. -
a much older one too!

While Catch me If You Can can’t exactly be categorised as a drama or a heist or a thriller, Spielberg makes sure we get a dose of everything. Whether or not the dose of each is sufficient depends on the viewer. I for one felt it to be nearly perfect. The acting, story, score and the dialogues all fit in perfectly. This is a film where you actually sympathise with the crook himself; in the words of Spielberg – “Frank was a 21st century genius working within the innocence of the mid '60s, when people were more trusting than they are now. I don't think this is the kind of movie where somebody could say, 'I have a career plan.’”



My Rating: 4.5/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96%