Spielberg pulls it off

Rating: 8/10 (22 March 2003)

Steven Spielberg shows why he is the most important director in Hollywood. Not just anybody takes over a project with "Trash" written all over it, and makes a very good movie out of it.
"Catch me if you can" is a very enjoyable film that you can watch over and over again. I believe I'm one of the few that thinks Leonardo Dicaprio can be a good actor when he puts his mind to it. And although this is not the case, I must say that this is one of the few movies in which I don't find him annoying. Tom Hanks also proves his quality with an excellent performance in a supporting role, although it never felt right Hanks doing a goofy second to Dicaprio. Another great addition was Christopher Walken as Frank Abagnale, Sr. He doesn't have as much screen time as Dicaprio or Hanks, but makes a strong background character that helps the audience understand Dicaprio's character.
I think the film's biggest plus is being a real-life story. I don't know how much of Frank Abagnale Jr.'s life has been changed for the script, but no matter how different it is, the story is believable, except for making Dicaprio a 17 year-old, c'mon!. I think somebody hit the jackpot when they looked at Abagnale's adventures and said "Hey, somebody should make a movie about him".
Spielberg made a great last minute save with this film. I just can't imagine it being a good movie with Gandolfini as Carl Harranty and Verbinsky directing it. Spielberg + Hanks can never fail. I'm just glad Dicaprio didn't ruin it for us all.