Well worth catching

Rating: 9/10 (6 June 2004)

This movie received a lot of hype when it came out, but I never got the chance to see it until this week (courtesy once again of the library, thank you very much). I'd heard good things about it, and I figured any film that involved Spielberg and hanks would be worth a look.
The movie chronicles the story of Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), a young man who sees his father's (Christopher Walken) slow descent into poverty and decides to help him by applying his particular kind of genius into a bold but extremely clever fraud scheme. Frank is soon passing himself off as a pilot for TWA, and his schemes only get bolder from there. Assigned to catch him is determined Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), who lacks Frank's brilliance but makes up for it with dogged persistence.
The movie is very skillfully handled. Spielberg has a number of terrific shots sprinkled throughout (the moment where Carl realizes he's actually spoken with Frank and didn't know it is classic), and the feel of the 60s is deftly captured. DiCaprio really does look like he's fifteen or sixteen through most of it, and all of the small subtle period details are captured. We're also shown a great deal more than we are told; while Frank is a genius, we are never told that, but we see how his schemes unfold, part accident and part inspiration, and we come to sympathize with him even though he is a criminal. In fact it's a testament to the skill of the writing and directing that although the characters are at odds with one another and have conflicting goals, we can somehow root for them both.
Hanks is his usual excellent self, and his Carl is a character we immediately like, even if he is a bit gruff around the edges. DiCaprio surprised me because he fits into the role seamlessly; I've never seen him be this natural or effective before, and it gave me new respect for him as an actor (he really needs to stay away from period stuff). His performance is the more important one, because naturally the bulk of the film centers on him. Christopher Walken is also very strong as Frank's father, a man whose life slowly crumbles beneath him yet who never gives up fighting for something better (it's never made clear if he did anything wrong in his past to elicit such attention from the IRS, which normally would be a drawback but in this case is oddly effective). The rest of the cast is excellent too, and Martin Sheen gives a nice turn in a smaller role.
In the end we see that Frank really could have been someone amazing had he just buckled down and worked for it Â– that he did so well with so little is also a testament to his pluck and intelligence. But Spielberg and his cast manage to present an interesting and entertaining story that never lags and keeps us wrapped up in its twists and turns from start to finish. In the last few years Spielberg has made his share of lackluster films (AI, Minority Report) but Catch Me If You Can is not one of them. A strong effort from some gifted people at the top of their games, Catch is certainly worth a rental. It's a little long at two and a half hours, but it's certainly worth the investment of your time.
One minor note: John William's score is extremely effective and one of his better works in recent years. It marries perfectly to the visuals and is simply outstanding.
June 6, 2004