#140RVW
Hollywood’s fascination with con men continues unabated & led to making this amazingly (mostly) true story. Really fun with great pacing…
What’s more:
Always a small source of surprise when Steven Spielberg does some of his best work on a relatively “normal” tale, after spending large chunk of career on supernatural blockbusters. But it is certainly evidence of his talent.
He actually had not intended to direct this film, but it languished in development hell for decades, and when it got rescheduled yet again he moved from producer to the director’s chair. You can certainly see why people tried for so long to adapt this story. Based on the autobiography of Frank Abagnale Jr., Catch Me If You Can tells the improbable but true story of a young man who posed as a pilot, doctor and lawyer while racking up millions in bank fraud, all while in his teens.
Hollywood has a long love affair with confidence men. I suspect it’s because movies are themselves the ultimate deception. Nothing is real; the entire business of motion pictures is based on trickery. So of course the actual flim-flam merchants who build the houses of cards in southern California have a particular interest in on-screen skulduggery. The stories of conjurers, shysters and practitioners of legerdemain have been fascinating audiences for decades.
The story of Abagnale is too good to resist, even if they had chosen only to focus on his real-life exploits. The story behind what drives Frank, though, and the vulnerability DiCaprio shows in his performance are what elevate this movie beyond the tale of a fascinating fraud. I’m quite sure that this is where Spielberg and screenwriter Jeff Nathanson take the most liberties with the actual account, but I’m not complaining. (And apparently neither did Abagnale.) The family dynamic that is a constant through the story is the glue that holds the tale together. Christopher Walken does some of his best work in years as Abagnale Sr.; his influence on young Frank drives the picture and provides an anchor for the more unbelievable parts of the story. The moments between DiCaprio & Walken are special.
This is only one of the two main connections on which this story is built, the second being the relationship between Frank and Tom Hanks’ federal agent Carl Hanratty. The cat & mouse connection of the two men is fascinating, even more so as the rapport builds. Hanks brings his “A”-game to what could have been a much simpler character. (The last man slated to play Hanratty before a delay forced him to abandon the role was James Gandolfini. That would have been interesting…)
Special mention should be made of the Saul Bass inspired opening credits – a thing of beauty. In fact, all of the period touches of the film are nicely handled. Great art direction, set dressing – just a reminder of how many talented people come together to make movies great. DP Janusz Kaminski his usual brilliant self.
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
Fail
| Main Cast | Leonardo DiCaprio Frank Abagnale Jr., Tom Hanks Carl Hanratty, Christopher Walken Frank Abagnale, Martin Sheen Roger Strong |
| Rating | PG-13 |
| Release Date | Wed 25 Dec 2002 UTC |
| Director | Steven Spielberg |
| Genres | Biography, Crime, Drama |
| Plot | A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr., who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars’ worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 141 |
| Tagline | The true story of a real fake. |
| Writers | Jeff Nathanson (screenplay), Frank Abagnale Jr. (as Frank W. Abagnale) (book) … |
| Year | 2002 |
