Extraordinary!

Rating: 10/10 (26 December 2002)

This film is a "Based on a true story" flick that follows Frank Abagnale Jr (aka Frank Taylor aka Frank Connors etc.) through an adventure that can only be described as 'Make believe' meets 'Hide-and-Seek' mixed with 'Monopoly'. Frank runs away from home at 17 when his parents divorce and reinvents himself - as a pilot, a doctor, a lawyer, and so on, living in grand style by defrauding banks of millions of dollars, passing fake checks, all the while playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an FBI agent whose mission it is to track him down and collar him.
The movie is definitely a tad on the long side, but it keeps pace - you don't get bored, and the plot/editing is unique...you don't have to worry about guessing the ending 30 minutes before it actually happens. I am not usually a DiCaprio fan, but he renders a very real, believable performance. Tom Hanks, however, needed a little more work with a dialogue coach...his 'accent' was so poorly done, I really couldn't tell where he was supposed to be from! Aside from that, a well-delivered character.