Reel Time Reviews "Catch Me If You Can (2002)"

Rating: 8/10 (15 January 2016)

Catch Me If You Can is a film Directed by Steven Spielberg in 2002
"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."
Catch Me If You Can stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a young con artist being chased across America by the FBI investigator Carl Handratty (played by Tom Hanks) as he is chased across all 50 states in America for stealing over $4 million in fraudulent cheques. It really is a movie that you can re-watch over and over again, however although I found it very entertaining and fun to watch, like all movies it had it's flaws.
Obviously the movie is an adaptation of the life of the real con artist Frank William Abagnale Jr. and the events that took place during his life when he was growing up. From impersonating a substitute teacher at his high school to becoming a lawyer just to marry a girl whom he fell in love with, the movie follows Frank's life and engages the audience by keeping them entertained. The biggest flaw that the movie had for me was the significantly huge lack of Christopher Walken in it. Although he was a very influential and important figure in the movie, specifically for Leonardo DiCaprio's character, I personally would of liked to see the majestic works of Walken more frequent throughout the film. On a more serious note, sometimes the scenes can feel detached from the Actors and it creates a feeling of confusion as some things feel less believable than others.
The acting is to be applauded though, with such an amazing cast it's hard to make a movie like this not enjoyable. Most credit should be given to Tom Hanks and Christopher Walken for their characters and the interactions that they make with Frank. It is these relationships that engage the audience as they show the feelings between a struggling father and his son, along with the relationship between a criminal and the man chasing him down. Watching a young Leo cheat his way through life and avoid any confrontation with the FBI is both thrilling and entertaining as we truly get to see the retold events of Frank Abagnale on screen. We sympathize with him and understand the struggles he is going through. Leo's character is a prime example of an Anti-Hero, we know what he is doing is wrong but we don't want him to get caught because we want to see what he does next. Yet again Steven Spielberg combines a good cast, well written and entertaining script along with the magnificent music created by the phenomenal John Williams to create an exciting adventure inspired by real events. The setting of the 1960's is captured well and the audience really gets a feeling of the era that this took place in.
Overall Catch Me If You Can was an enjoyable experience with a lack of my on screen time for Christopher Walken, but made up for that with it's easy to follow and engaging plot.
8.0/10
~Reel Time Reviews