Rating of
3/4
"Catch Me If you Can" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 01/28/12
Catch Me If You Can is a lighthearted comedy-thriller based on the life of audacious conman Frank Abagnale Jr who made millions passing fake cheques while he was still in his teens and went on to be one of the most respected fraud investigators in the world. It's a truly astonishing story and with the hugely likable Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role and Spielberg's sensitive sketching of his homelife you can't help both warming to and admiring the sheer size of the brass set on him. He was living the American dream and if it weren't for the pesky detail of federal crime he'd probably be a national hero. The core of the film is the relationship between he and the FBI agent pursuing him played by Tom Hanks, who puts in a similarly fine performance as the lonely obsessive who mirrors his quarry. In fact it is this cat and mouse game that makes the film and the flippant approach couldn't really justify the sheer length of the it, particularly for the rather overlong opening of the film before Hanratty first encounters him. Still, it is a deeply stylish, self-assured and always entertaining film and another winner from the ever reliable Spielberg.
