A welcome departure from Spielberg's usual style

Rating: 8/10 (9 September 2013)

This is the story of perhaps the biggest American fraudster in history, and the cat-and-mouse chase to catch him. A hunt that in many ways brought Frank Abagnale Jr. (DiCaprio) and FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Hanks) together, since in many ways they were each other's lives at the time, and culminated in a lifelong friendship. Frank Abagnale Jr.'s story is an incredible one. By the time he turned 18, he had successfully played the roles of an airline captain, a doctor and a lawyer, and cashed in false checks for over $2.5 million. This is the film of his story, based on Frank's own accounts of the events. And it is an exceptionally entertaining film. Cocky con artists succeeding pretty much always make for a fun film, and when it's based on the true events of a young and likable man, it gets even more fun. It's amazing what you can get away with a little ingenuity and enormous amounts of nerve. But there's of course a price to pay when your whole life revolves around living a lie.
Catch Me If You Can is actually a rather unusual film to bear Spielberg's name. The usual Spielberg trademarks are mostly absent from this film, without that necessarily being a bad thing. Initially Spielberg didn't intend to direct this film at all; it was Gore Verbinsky who first got the job. But when Leonardi DiCaprio was called back to film more scenes for Gangs of New York, delaying the shoot, Verbinsky had to withdraw. At that time James Gandolfini was lined up for the role of Carl Hanratty. It could've been interesting to see how the film had turned out with them, but looking at the film as it is, it is hard to imagine it being better than the Spielberg/Hanks collaboration it turned out to be, their fifth at the time.
Along with Spielberg's departure from his usual style, there's also John William's soundtrack, which is very different from the pompous soundtracks he's most known for. It's jazzy and beautiful, and fits the 60s setting perfectly. The acting is first rate, from the leads of Leonardo DiCaprio, who started showing at the time that there was more to him than just being a heartthrob, and Tom Hanks, both delivering top notch work, to brilliant supporting parts from actors like Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen. It's a well crafted and playful movie overall, delivering the goods across all lines. It's a highly entertaining movie, that I'm sure will stand the test of time. Recommended!