Sly and Winning Change of Pace for Spielberg

Rating: 10/10 (21 June 2003)

Fleeing the dark tone which has permeated his movies for the past five or more years, Spielberg chose this light-hearted character piece from the mile high stack of scripts available and what a great choice it was. This is easily the most entertaining and purely enjoyable effort from Steven in at least a decade and a real comeback for a director whose work, while still respectable, was beginning to wear.
All the elements are there. The cast is outstanding from Hanks to DiCaprio to Sheen to Walken and they are all game. The script is sensational; from dialogue to organization of events this is probably the most focused and sly screenplays Spielberg has had to work with in many years and was probably the best script of the year. The music and cinematography are solid (one of Williams' better "jazzy" soundtracks.
In particular, DiCaprio shines as the fresh-faced con artist and Hanks is dependable as the long-suffering and dedicated federal agent after him. Walken makes the most of his limited screen time. One wishes Walken's character (and the genesis of DiCaprio's con mentality) had been better defined but there is the great substitute teacher scene which is transcendent and hilarious. Just the mere proud smirk on Walken's face when he realizes his son has pulled a fast one on the faculty for a week is enough to explain much of Abignale's childhood and influences.
Ironically, this movie relies on close personal relationships and almost no action, which makes it the most atypical Spielberg movie ever. There are no big chases or explosions but a great many heart to heart conversations. Incredibly, it all comes together and the result is a staggeringly witty and great movie. To be honest, I didn't think Spielberg had it in him anymore. But then, he had a lot of great help. Fans of cons and coming of age movies should definitely check this out. Hanks is his reliable self and DiCaprio steals some scenes and is entirely convincing in a challenging role. Give it a try!