A fine film

Rating: 7/10 (25 March 2018)

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is one of those films that it took me ages to get around to seeing because I thought I wasn't going to like it. I'm no huge fan of Steven Spielberg and the lavish devotion he attracts, even though he's made a lot of films I enjoy. It seemed to me to be a vehicle for a smug Leonardo DiCaprio outwitting the authorities at every turn. Now I've watched it, I admit that I was completely wrong. DiCaprio plays a thoroughly sympathetic character whose side you are on from the outset thanks to a clever set-up involving his relationship with his father, a decent Christopher Walken. The viewer can then sit back and simply enjoy watching him as he attempts to beat the system by becoming a master fraudster. The fact that this is a true story helps a lot too. It's not as assured as Spielberg's deadly serious fare like BRIDGE OF SPIES and MUNICH, but it's much better than his twee, sentimental body of work.