The perfect period drama!

Rating: Null/10 (23 September 2011)

The perfect period drama! Steven Spielberg couldn't have done a better job of showing what life was like in the 1960's with his movie Catch Me If You Can. From people being in awe when seeing a pilot to the music and clothing, the 1960s were shown very well. There was nothing about this movie that didn't feel like it belonged in the decade.
The fact that this is movie based on real life, makes the story that much more amazing. The main character, Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), was a con artist at such a young age, 17 years old. Throughout the movie he impersonated a pilot, doctor, teacher, and lawyer, stealing money from the government along the way with fraudulent checks. Even though he was considered "the bad guy" in this movie, you're still rooting for him to escape the police. The FBI was constantly on his trail, under the command of Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), creating suspense throughout the entire movie. Even with this serious criminal activity, Spielberg still manages to bring humor into the movie. This humor is emphasized by the two lead actors because they work so well together. Had those two been cast differently, I don't think the movie would have been as good as it was.
My favorite part of the movie had to be the opening credits. They draw you into the movie right from the start. Instead of just putting the cast and crew's names over the start of the movie, they made the opening credits their own movie. They literally told the story of the movie using retro animation. It went through the jobs that Frank impersonated during the movie in such a great way. The best way to lead you into the movie!
This movie, in a way, resembles many aspects of the James Bond movies, minus the killing of course. Frank could be described as a "Lady's man" in this movie, despite his age, and also his numerous disguises/impersonations help him remind me of James Bond.
This movie would be my first recommendation for movies based on real life because it's so suspenseful, entertaining, comedic, and fun to watch. I was constantly trying to guess what Frank would do next and how he would escape the FBI, and I love how the pace of the movie never slowed. It's just the sort of movie that you want more of even when the movie's done. So, I guess you'll just have to watch it again, because it's that good.