← Back to Reviews
in
Steven Spielberg's meticulous skill at cinematic storytelling and a charismatic lead performance by Leonardo DiCaprio are the prime selling points of the 2002 comedy-drama Catch Me if You Can.
This deliciously entertaining movie is based on the real activities of one Frank Abignale Jr., a teenager, prompted by his father's financial difficulties and his mother's infidelity, to carve out an independent life for himself through the cashing of two million dollars in fraudulent checks and actually impersonating an airline pilot, a doctor, and an attorney.
Spielberg's casual pacing of this story is irresistible and somehow makes us really care about this central character and be on his side the whole way, even after his illegal activities merit the attention of the FBI and one detective in particular named Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), whose obsession with nailing our hero sets off one of the most riveting cat and mouse games we have seen in a movie.
With the aid of a strong screenplay by Jeff Nathanson, Spielberg has mounted one of cinema's greatest examples of storytelling on film. Spielberg and Nathanson allow the story to unfold slowly in order to evoke sympathy for the central character, despite the fact that he is a criminal who deserves to be punished for the crimes he has committed. Not to mention the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio delivers an Oscar-worthy performance in the starring role, a performance that makes us totally fall in love with Abignale even though we shouldn't.
Spielberg's hand-picked cast works for the most part. Hanks works very hard in the role of Hanratty, though I personally found the accent he utilizes here very distracting. Christopher Walken won a Golden Globe and received an Oscar nomination for his performance as Frank Abignale Sr., Frank's loving and sympathetic father, a salesman whose best days are behind him and even after learning what his son has become, remains completely loyal to him and refuses to betray him or condone his actions. Walken has rarely been so likable and endearing onscreen. Amy Adams is charming as a nurse Frank Jr. meets during his time as a doctor and Martin Sheen is fine as her father, an attorney who inspires Frank's move from medicine to the law. Nathalie Baye makes a rare appearance in an American film as DiCaprio's mother and Walken's wife, an unsympathetic character who she does play with sincerity.
The story doesn't really surprise as it begins with the ending and flashes back but what it does do more than anything else is entertain, from opening to closing credits. Bouquets to Spielberg, DiCaprio, and everyone else involved in bringing this richly entertaining story to the silver screen. Later turned into a Broadway musical.
Steven Spielberg's meticulous skill at cinematic storytelling and a charismatic lead performance by Leonardo DiCaprio are the prime selling points of the 2002 comedy-drama Catch Me if You Can.
This deliciously entertaining movie is based on the real activities of one Frank Abignale Jr., a teenager, prompted by his father's financial difficulties and his mother's infidelity, to carve out an independent life for himself through the cashing of two million dollars in fraudulent checks and actually impersonating an airline pilot, a doctor, and an attorney.
Spielberg's casual pacing of this story is irresistible and somehow makes us really care about this central character and be on his side the whole way, even after his illegal activities merit the attention of the FBI and one detective in particular named Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), whose obsession with nailing our hero sets off one of the most riveting cat and mouse games we have seen in a movie.
With the aid of a strong screenplay by Jeff Nathanson, Spielberg has mounted one of cinema's greatest examples of storytelling on film. Spielberg and Nathanson allow the story to unfold slowly in order to evoke sympathy for the central character, despite the fact that he is a criminal who deserves to be punished for the crimes he has committed. Not to mention the fact that Leonardo DiCaprio delivers an Oscar-worthy performance in the starring role, a performance that makes us totally fall in love with Abignale even though we shouldn't.
Spielberg's hand-picked cast works for the most part. Hanks works very hard in the role of Hanratty, though I personally found the accent he utilizes here very distracting. Christopher Walken won a Golden Globe and received an Oscar nomination for his performance as Frank Abignale Sr., Frank's loving and sympathetic father, a salesman whose best days are behind him and even after learning what his son has become, remains completely loyal to him and refuses to betray him or condone his actions. Walken has rarely been so likable and endearing onscreen. Amy Adams is charming as a nurse Frank Jr. meets during his time as a doctor and Martin Sheen is fine as her father, an attorney who inspires Frank's move from medicine to the law. Nathalie Baye makes a rare appearance in an American film as DiCaprio's mother and Walken's wife, an unsympathetic character who she does play with sincerity.
The story doesn't really surprise as it begins with the ending and flashes back but what it does do more than anything else is entertain, from opening to closing credits. Bouquets to Spielberg, DiCaprio, and everyone else involved in bringing this richly entertaining story to the silver screen. Later turned into a Broadway musical.