#43

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

The real life story of Frank Abagnale Jr, a young man who committed check fruad in the 1960s, stealing millions of dollars worth of checks. The fact that this is based on a true story makes it even more compelling. Frank was just an average boy, going through what so many teenagers face nowadays…their parents divorcing. Scared and frustrated, he runs away from home and begins his journey into check fraud to financially support himself. Eventually he drifts into the realm of identity theft; playing make believe, pretending to be different people, taking on different occupations…lawyer, doctor, pilot, whatever he decides he wants to be at that moment. He gets sucked into this on the run lifestyle where he can take on different characters. The part is played beautifully by Leonardo Dicaprio…who is perfectly suited for this role. He has that cool, calm, charming persona that Frank used to fool so many people. But Leo could also deliver those emotionally driven scenes towards the end of the film where Frank starts to mentally break down.

This movie’s sense of fantasy and make believe is what makes it so compelling. How many of us wish we could be someone else? Take on a different role in life, or live out a life long dream? That’s what our protagonist does here. Even though we know what he’s doing is wrong, we still can’t help but root for him. Also, the fact that he’s consistently on the run in the film, switching from one identity to the next, adds a suspenseful element to the movie as well. It puts the audience on the edge of their seats, eager to see where he’ll end up next. Also, Tom Hanks plays the cop who chases Frank throughout the film and he is great in this role.

The cinematography, the production design, the costumes…all beautiful and make the film visually stunning. That 1960s era and time period are captured beautifully on screen, making the film quite captivating.

A great film by Spielberg, and one of my favorite films of all time.