Review of Catch Me If You Can (2002) by Adam F — 22 May 2013

"Catch Me if you Can" is a story that's so crazy it has to be true and would work even if it was completely fictional. Leonardo Dicaprio is terrific as Frank Abagnale and convincingly plays the man from a teenager to well into his twenties. This might not sound impressive but to convey a change in age it's much easier to go with big changes (a man in his thirties to an old man for example) than to go with subtle tones in voice, posture and mannerisms. Dicaprio is completely convincing as a young man who starts off completely lost and at first wandering the world aimlessly but quickly becomes an expert con artist. Tom Hanks is also fantastic as Carl Hanratty, the FBI agent that is hell-bent on capturing Frank. He seems like a simple character at first, happily doing a job that most of his peers don't respect and acting like such a straight arrow that you don't think he has much personality but as the film progresses you really get to know him and genuinely like the guy. That means you have two people you find yourself cheering for and each of them takes, at times the role of protagonist and antagonist. It's always keeping you on your toes trying to figure out who is going to get the upper hand and how they're going to do it.

Christopher Walken also has a memorable role in the film as Frank's father (Frank Abagnale Sr.) and he does an excellent job adding some real humanity to the film with his father-son relationship as well as giving us a little hint as to how the character Frank got into his swindling ways. When it comes to the cons that Frank pulls of, the word "unbelievable" comes to mind, but director Steven Spielberg, armed with a great screenplay by Jeff Nathanson makes every trick convincing. You really believe that what you see on the screen happened because you can tell that the people that did these actions thought on their feet and acted quickly. There are many terrific moments that will really have you cheering but writing them down would spoil the surprises in the film. It's thoroughly satisfying to see Frank outsmart the authorities and keep getting away because you admire the guy. Anyone who has the guts to attempt to pass off as a pilot, purely to get free flights and paychecks out of it earns your admiration (even though you know what he's doing is wrong).

"Catch Me if you Can" works as a great period piece, a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse, a thriller with some great twists and a film about some really unlikely deep relationships, be they between men and women , a father and his son or two adversaries who's lives are linked together. It really puts you at odds knowing that this is a true story because on the one hand you want to know the whole story but on the other, the film is so well done that you don't want to take the chance that your favorite part of the film won't be the complete truth. It's a real triumph and you'll have a terrific time watching the film. (Dvd, May 10, 2013).