Catch Me If You Can (M), now showing at The Regent Theatre in Te Awamutu, is destined to become one of the big movies of 2003 as the chemistry is perfect both on and off-screen.

Rating: Null/10 (29 May 2003)

It has a big name director, in the shape of Steven Spielberg, as well as an all star cast, in the form of Oscar nominee Leonardo DiCaprio and two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks, and it has wonderful music from one of the movie industry's foremost composers, John Williams. Catch Me If You Can is the amazingly bizarre true story of a real life cat and mouse game between DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale Jr and Hanks as FBI agent Carl Hanratty. Abagnale comes to US Government attention after posing as an airline pilot to cash a series of forged cheques. Running with the money, he boards a series of planes in uniform to get a free ride, cashing millions and travelling more than two million miles for free. All this before he can turn 18. DiCaprio, who is approaching 30, is stretched to his acting limits as he plays a young character impersonating older characters including a doctor and a lawyer . He also plays the character at various stages of his life. A memorable scene is when Abagnale, posing as a Mr Fleming, has a tailor copy a suit he had seen on Sean Connery in a James Bond movie. He drove away from the scene to the 007 theme. Ian Fleming, of course, wrote the James Bond books. Hanks, who is one of the best actors in Hollywood today, is superb as the disgruntled FBI agent who is always one step behind his quarry. Hanratty is irked by Abagnale's baiting, which is hilarious, and Hanks plays a complex character who often refuses to show his humanity  until he catches up with Abagnale. There's also a weighty performance from Christopher Walken as Frank Abagnale Snr, DiCaprio's character's father, whose portrayal is complemented by that of Nathalie Baye, who plays his mother Paula. Almost everything about this film is right. From the opening credits, reminiscent of the classic TV shows of the 1960s, to the authentic wardrobe and John Williams' wonderful score. The only thing wrong with the film are the moral choices that Abagnale makes when pretending to be something that he is not. Catch Me If You Can is all about taking responsibility for your actions. When Abagnale is caught he must serve time. But it is not the end of his life but rather the beginning.