Catch Me If You Can Review
by Andrew Staker (adonis_love AT hotmail DOT com)November 3rd, 2003
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
This playful pursuit through the 1960s from director Steven Spielberg features the vivid music, colour and aroma of the era. 'Hollywood heartthrob' Leonardo DiCaprio (treasured by some for his looks, by others of his acting) plays real-life conman personality Frank Abagnale. After the seemingly happy marriage of his parents dissolves around him, Frank, inspired by his charismatic, IRS-fleeing father (Christopher Walken), decides to flee the broken home.
Quickly realising he'll need to survive, Frank employs his formidable talents of impersonation and deception to weave his way out of difficult situations and get to money. Posing as an airline officer for TWA, Frank continues to gain money. He becomes quite the expert in fake cheques. Enter FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) of the financial crimes division. Assigned two agents to help, the motley threesome is on Frank's trail.
So begins the poor teenager's ceaseless run. He goes from pilot to doctor to lawyer, always watching his back. There is in Catch me if you can the requisite love interest. Brenda Strong (Amy Adams) wears braces on her teeth and is a haphazard medical receptionist. Abagnale soon charms the panties off her (literally) and they agree to marry. But poor Frank comes to the horrible realisation that his crimes are wrong and that the truth would socially isolate him. The FBI's turning up at their engagement party is reason enough for him to flee. The last league of the pursuit sees Hanratty and Abagnale 'do battle' in a quaint French village. Frank's continual attempts to recapture and hold on to his lost family are touching.
Running at about 140 minutes, Catch me if you can is not a tiring film; Jeff Nathanson's script based on autobiography delivers humour. The humanising attitude the filmmakers take to the FBI's agents is surprising and jocular. Spielberg recreates skilfully an era well out of reach for those of my generation. This film is entertaining, moving and the soundtrack from John Williams is fitting.
Andrew Staker
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