An unbelievable film, yet based on a true story

Rating: 7/10 (11 August 2019)

As unbelievable as it seems to be, "Catch Me If You Can" was based on a real person and his exploits. That included, by the time he was just 19 years of age, passing himself off as a major airline passenger jet pilot, a medical doctor, a lawyer, and a prison official. Frank Abagnale Jr. told his story in a book co-written by Stan Redding in 1980, by the same title as this film.
Of course, in order to get away with any of his imposter roles, Abagnale had to look older than he was. And, the tricks and traits he developed for conning banks, businesses and people took imagination and some skill to learn. His story is a fascinating one and ideal for a very entertaining film. As the movie shows, Abagnale eventually was caught and spent time in jail. In reality, he served short sentences in France and Sweden before being extradited to the U.S. And, as the film notes at the end, he eventually turned his experience into a lucrative career and later business. He helped the FBI, banks and businesses to spot and protect against fraud.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays Abagnale in this film, and Tom hanks plays Carl Hanratty. His role is based on the real FBI agent who was the chief pursuer of the cagey con man. That was Joseph Shea, who later was a close friend of Abagnale's until Shea's death.