Dragnet meets The Fugitive

Rating: 7/10 (2 January 2003)

Greetings again from the darkness. Spielberg delivers a very entertaining romp through the life of Frank Abagnale,jr. I have not read the book yet, so am a little unsure what is fact and what is Hollywood, but it did seem strange that he was captured 3 times. Interesting performance by a New England accented Tom Hanks, who seems to be giving us his best Jack Webb impersonation. Leo is solid as the con on the run and was a nice selection with his natural charm. However, nowhere near as dynamic a performance as he gives in "Gangs of New York". Stealing every scene was Christopher Walken. Known mostly over the last 20 years for his goofing as frequent host of Saturday Night Live, Walken reminds of why he was thought to be a real up and comer in "The Deer Hunter". I got chills as Walken swells with pride in his son as he realizes Frank has the establishment on the run. Really thought many of the scenes with his fiance and her family were idealized and were there to show how Frank missed being part of a family unit. Again, I don't know the facts of the case, this is just a perception. Spielberg gets some nice supporting performances out of Mr. Barbra Streisand (James Brolin), Martin Sheen, and Jennifer Garner. Mostly this is an entertaining film that the masses will enjoy and there is nothing wrong with that.