Glossy, but not always classy

Rating: 6/10 (30 December 2004)

OK comedy/drama telling the story of young con man DiCaprio, chased by Hanks' FBI man.
The opening credits and score set the tone for this retro looking film. Overall, it has an air of being old-school. It's not very dark or foul mouthed, and it's not a pure comedy either. It has a nostalgic touch to it, which I guess is supposed to draw in the crowds for an old fashioned crime caper of sorts.
However, I thought the film felt kind of schizophrenic. The comedy bits are those that work best (Hanks' best work so far in my opinion), but judging from the subject matter, this should have been a considerably darker film in tone. It's like Spielberg didn't know how to put the story together as it displays numerous mood swings - sometimes serious, sometimes definitely not. Structrually, the film also feels a bit weak, it would have worked better with linear storytelling, rather than jumping back and forth in time.
The acting is OK, but I could never really get to grips with DiCaprio's character (and in some scenes, neither did DiCaprio). The production design, cinematography, and score work fine together but the story never quite holds up. There is nothing remarkable about the film, and towards the end, Spielberg's sappier movie sentiments makes for some not so good movie time, unfortunately. [6/10]