The Moose Hole - 'Catch' This 'If You Can'

Rating: 8/10 (12 January 2003)

There are few directors out there that can make a great film but it is even rarer for a director to make two great films in one year. Steven Spielberg will try to be one of those rare directors. Earlier this year, Spielberg directed the critically praised Minority Report, which gathered more praise for its box office battle with Disney's Lilo & Stitch then anything else. Now after directing box office draw Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg attempts to breathe new box office life into the career of Leonardo DiCaprio by adding the mix of Oscar winning actor, Tom Hanks. Will this experiment work and showcase the reasons why Spielberg is one of the greatest directors in Hollywood or will this one of the very few flaws in his career?
The story goes that Frank Abagnale Jr. lives a normal life with his parents but things begin to change very quickly. His family moves to a small apartment after his father runs into trouble with the IRS. Frankie's parents soon divorce after his mother begins to cheat on her husband. This drives the confused boy to run away from home. Frank makes a good life for himself by disguising himself as an airline pilot becoming the James Bond of the skies. But he runs from that job after an FBI agent named Carl Hanratty begins the chase to capture him. Hanratty will go to the ends of the earth just to catch him. The story, which was based on a true story, was well done but felt too weighted. Some of the elements seemed too unbelievable for the audience to really accept. And some areas of the story seemed to last too long that in the end they felt flat for the most part.
The characters in the film were all based on real life people. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the lead character, Frank Abagnale Jr. It really wasn't much of a stretch for him to play a ladies' man but it had been some time since he played a character that was like the one he plays here. Frank Abagnale Jr. is a confused character who continues the chase not because he loves it but that he needs it. He needs the cat and mouse game with Agent Hanratty to fill that void he is missing with his family. DiCaprio shows great acting ability especially in the end expressing this character. Agent Hanratty is not an Oscar winning performance for Tom Hanks but it is a character which seems like he had a lot of fun with. Christopher Walken is great as Frank Abagnale Sr. playing off Leonardo DiCaprio very well especially in facial expressions. It is a shame that his character is not given a good send off in the film rather then the plain ending his character gets.
Overall, Catch Me If You Can is another good offering from the creative genius of Steven Spielberg but certainly not one of his greatest. The film is certainly a great diversion from the usual dramatic films offered by Spielberg but Catch Me really seems slow and flat in certain areas of the film. Some of the characters were flat in some areas. Christopher Walken's character is great but sent off in a good way. At least there should have been something there for the audience for feel sorry for when his son is told his father is dead. Jennifer Garner's character, though nicely performed by the Alias star, seemed pointless in the overall effect of the film. Catch Me If You Can is a nice film, though, for people to relax in without having to waste a very long time with or being too blown away with elaborate special effects. Catch this film, if you can. If not, don't worry too much about it.
My Rating: **** out of 5