MPAA Rating: PG-13/ Genre: Docudrama Crime/ Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye, Amy Adams, James Brolin, Nancy Lenehan, Thomas Kopache, Candice Azzara, Malachi Throne, Brian Howe, Frank John Hughes, Chris Ellis, John Finn, Jennifer Garner, Ellen Pompeo, Elizabeth Banks, Kaitlin Doubleday/ Runtime: 141 minutes
Today on this very Spielbergian Sunday movie lover, I would like to submit for your possible time and/or consideration a film of his from 2002 known as Catch Me If You Can which regales us with the incredibly riveting and engaged based on a true story saga of a rather unique conman and the doggedly determined to catch him law enforcement officer who tries to hunt him down. Indeed this is not only a very personal story of an intriguing individual that manages to showcase his long yet very successful time engaged in his various schemes during the 60s, but it is also a slice of cinematic pie that takes the time honored narrative ingredient known as “cops and robbers” and gives it a vibe of delightful whimsy which sees us as movie goers beginning to cheer on the crook. Not because we support or applaud what it is he is doing, but rather because we can appreciate the skill the film has in constructing such a riveting narrative around this individual. Yet even though the film does move at a fairly quick pace, it is also one that never feels like it is just wanting to be done and over with; rather it permits you, the movie goer to absorb all that it has to offer both through its cast’s very immersive portrayals and the showcasing of the world this character operates in. Indeed this is a film which has a narrative that is molded by tragedy of a personal nature, a dollop of confidence, and perhaps a smidge of pride whilst also being one that doesn’t champion the actions the main character engages in, but through a unique conclusion to the film does showcase that maybe there are cases like this where something positive can truly come about which can benefit more than just the person at the heart of the matter. Ultimately though, this is a film which at its heart is one that is meant to engage on the purest and most basic level possible whilst also, courtesy of the work done by both the cast and the master helmsman in charge, operating as a showcase for both a true comprehension of filmmaking and also just how to make a film that can be both genuinely good and entertaining at the same time.
The plot is as follows: Catch Me If You Can tells us the story of a 17-year old young man by the name of Frank Abagnale, Jr. who his whole life has found himself in a loving and warmhearted family dynamic with both dad Frank Sr. and mom Paula. However, as our story opens proper, we see that the world this family unit knows is quickly disappearing underneath them as we soon learn that dear ol’ dad has a cloud of suspicion over his head for alleged tax fraud and as a result can do nothing, but watch as he loses nearly everything he holds dear including the family’s house, the car, and eventually even the clan’s matriarch. To that end, we see our intrepid hero tragically have to witness as his parents’ marriage shatters to pieces due to both this scandal as well as the reveal that Mom has been having an affair with one of Dad’s best friends and thus decides to spare himself any further pain by running away from home. Thus finding himself in a cold and quite unfriendly world, we see our young hero engage in the criminal art of petty forgery to get by and while it initially just starts as a couple hundred dollars every so often, it isn’t long before Frank gets pretty good at it to the point of not only becoming a mastermind in the school of bad checks, but also in being able to become, at first, a pilot for now-defunct airline Pan Am. Yet with all of the positives that come his way, there is one caveat to all of it. A caveat that takes the form of his schemes catching the attention of a doggedly determined agent of the FBI by the name of Carl Hanratty who makes it his personal mission to apprehend this mystery forger and see that he faces justice for it. Thus with his skills improving, his cons becoming more outlandish, his false id’s becoming more ridiculous, and the net around him getting ever larger I guess it should be asked: does our young hero stand even a fighting chance of remaining free or will he finally if ever get caught and face justice for his crimes? As for the answer….well I guess you’ll just have to watch the movie to find out….
Now it should be noted right off the bat that Catch Me If You Can manages to work on the level of brilliant storytelling as it does a riveting and engaging narrative. Indeed it’s a union that both avid movie lovers and just the casual movie goer doesn’t see much of in cinema and it is through this blend of both riveting pathos with a viewing experience that is casual yet enjoyable all the same. Indeed there are not that many movies out there that manage to thread the needle between not only being crafty and highly intelligent, but also between terrific storytelling, top-notch performances, and wonderful work behind the camera and truly iconic narrative regaling which manages to come together in a manner that only a filmmaking icon like Steven Spielberg could pull off. Indeed make no mistake: this is not the legendary film helmer’s best work, but it is a film which proves he has a genuine gift for showcasing a personal story on a big background. Indeed Spielberg manages to enwrap the story in as much activity as he can muster and in the process manages to keep things moving at a decent clip whilst also using the soul of the movie to really go in-depth on a unique yet delightful individual who happily and knowingly sidesteps the law to fill his own pockets, but in the process manages to figure out just who he is as an individual and just what he can do when he puts his mind to it, all in the aftermath of a tragedy that set him down this path that is both wrong yet also, in an ironic way, kind of right at the same time. To that end while the movie does go through quite the period of time, to say nothing of a trinity of façade careers, for our main character, Spielberg does manage to keep the movie both on target and amusing as it immerses itself in one of the more interesting characters I’ve seen in a movie in a while as well as the unique dynamic that forms between Abagnale and the law enforcement officer consistently on his tail.
Now while this is a film that manages to run 9 minutes shy of 2 and a half hours, it doesn’t feel even half that long; a fact that seems to be apparent because this film manages to reach a pinnacle at nearly every opportunity. Thankfully this film at the same time also manages to improve in regards to pacing as both its structure and the story being told are expanded upon. Suffice it to say that this is a movie that manages to be both riveting and engaging whilst also always being able to best the top moments that have already come in the film and help get that much closer to being a genuinely top-notch film. Of course with that upward mobility there are certain core ingredients that remain thankfully steady. For starters, the work done by Spielberg behind the camera is once again as phenomenal as ever. Indeed this is a movie that manages to brilliantly continue the tradition of showcasing both this seemingly magical vibe that always seems to be in the air in all of his movies, but also a very apparent feeling of synchronicity that originates from a seemingly organic 6th sense that the master helmer puts to use in all of his movies that in equal measure deserves your respect and awe, but also permits you to just simply sit back and enjoy the road the film chooses to go down. It is also worth noting that the cast Spielberg has assembled for this particular film is, as to be expected, truly fantastic as well. Indeed in the lead role, we have a truly winning performance from screen icon Leonardo DiCaprio who is just dynamic in the role of the brilliant, talented, gutsy, and subtle con man whose motivation for why he does what he does is not all black and white and whose heart is not as crooked as you might think. Now as the cat to DiCaprio’s mouse, we get a solid co-starring performance from perennial screen favorite Tom Hanks even if there are a lot of moments where he is overrun by the film choosing to concentrate more on DiCaprio and his role. Finally we also get a pair of truly phenomenal co-starring roles from top-notch thespians Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen as Frank’s dad and as a man whose daughter Frank falls in love with and comes close to marrying respectively. Indeed this distinct trinity of Hanks, Walken, and Sheen all do terrific work in their own way of playing men who become, or inherently are, father figures to our protagonist and from them on down we see that the rest of the cast all manages to rise to the level of these truly talented actors and make this film, from an acting standpoint a true winner through and through.
All in all I am pleased to let you know dear reader that Catch Me If You Can truly is a wonderfully constructed slice of cinematic pie to say nothing of a better-grade character analysis, and a film that just plain and simply is meant to entertain and does so phenomenally well. On top of all that though, this is also a intelligently performed, just plain fun, and completely riveting cat and mouse saga done in a way that only a master helmsman like Mr. Steven Spielberg could truly pull off. Indeed here is a film that manages to brilliantly take us back to another era whilst also giving us a cast of three-dimensional characters which populate a narrative that is equal parts character analysis, drama, and a little bit of whimsy, comedy, and even romance thrown in for good measure. Indeed make no mistake dear reader: Catch Me If You Can might not be the best film that Spielberg has ever seen fit to bless us as lovers of cinema or just causal movie goers with, but it is most certainly still a finer effort than a lot of movies in the world today to say nothing of the fact that it is one of the more delightful mainstream films we received near the beginning of the decade known as the 2000s. On a scale of 1-5 I give Catch Me If You Can “02” a solid 4 out of 5.
