a great movie

Rating: 8/10 (21 June 2007)

I have just seen this movie and it was a very entertaining experience.
The best thing about this movie (which is easy to overlook) is that although Frank is a cheat and a criminal in every sense of the word, we sympathise with him and want him to be more deceitful. We want to consciously overlook the moral bankruptcy. That is honestly how good the script and direction are.
The presentaion of the 60's is realistic and engaging. There are a few occasions where you think that Frank's "heroics" are somewhat exaggerated but perhaps it is understandable because he was a master con man. Di Caprio does not look 16 when he is portrayed as 16, but I guess you can't make someone aged 30+ appear that young no matter how hard you try! I did not like Di Caprio before I saw this movie but my perception of his talent has completely changed. He gives a spell bounding performance. In fact I don't think any other actor would have bettered his performance. He completely looks the character and portrays many different expressions with flawless expertise. Hanks is subdued but is reliable nonethless. The rest of the cast are also very able, be that Frank Sr or Frank Jr's would-be father in law.
In summary the direction, acting, scipt, photography, everything is top-notch. The only reason I don't give it a 9/10 is because it is a bit too long and I feel it could have been trimmed about 10-15 minutes. Well done Spielberg. Well done Di Caprio.