One of the Greatest Cat and Mouse Chases in History

"An honest man has nothing to fear, so I am trying hard not to be afraid." – Frank Abagnale Jr.

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Catch Me If You Can

PG -13

18 December 2002 (Westwood)

Length

Available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Youtube Movies, & Google Play

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Screenplay by Jeff Nathanson

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye

Synopsis:

Frank Abagnale, Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) worked as a doctor, a lawyer, and as a co-pilot for a major airline – all before his 18th birthday. A master of deception, he was also a brilliant forger, whose skill gave him his first real claim to fame: At the age of 17, Frank Abagnale, Jr. became the most successful bank robber in the history of the U.S. FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) makes it his prime mission to capture Frank and bring him to justice, but Frank is always one step ahead of him.

Content Warning: swearing, sexual content

Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 American pseudo biographical crime film based on Frank Abagnale Jr.’s life. From posing as a pilot to a doctor to a prosecutor, the truth of his story has always been questionable. The movie starred Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale and Tom Hanks as Carl Hanratty, the FBI agent chasing Frank.

Jhanya: Throwback storytime! This was actually the first film that drew me to the works of Steven Spielberg, who is my favorite film director. I vaguely remember watching this on DVD with my dad in our Living Room during 6th grade and being mesmerized by DiCaprio’s cons and creative ways. I think this was the first time I actually noticed the cinematography, scene direction, and the likes in the film which then led me to start criticizing films at a pretty early age. I really didn’t want to miss the chance to review this film when it was suggested to us, so I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Ria: This movie made me laugh too many times. I laughed when Frank didn’t know what a jumpseat was when he was supposed to be a pilot when he wriggled his way out of the questioning of his fianceé’s family, and many more moments. Ultimately, I would have to agree that this is a comedy.

Jhanya: I also had a blast (re)watching this film. I’ve watched it multiple times over the years whenever I feel like having a Spielberg binge, and it has made me laugh every single time. It’s a very witty comedy where the jokes aren’t out of place and flow smoothly into the storyline, which is a charm of Spielberg films in general. The great chemistry between DiCaprio and Hanks also adds even more to the story.

These cat and mouse scenes are mainly what make the film very memorable to its audience. Frank Jr. never really has a plan when it comes to these cons and escapes. He simply goes with the flow and figures it all out along the way, which makes it even satisfying when he slips away from Hanratty once again. These easy slips, also in a way mocks the FBI which has been known to have pretty incompetent officers despite being a central agency of crime in the US. But despite these very upbeat chase scenes and Frank’s creative escape methods, Catch Me If You Can shows the struggles of teenagers from broken families.

Ria: Like Jhanya, I believe this movie really tried to flesh out what adolescent trauma can do to a teen. It can really destroy them and even turn them into criminals. At an emotional level, more of this could’ve been seen. Not just this, Frank really valued his survival which led him to do all sorts of bizarre and desperate things.

Jhanya: Given this, at times, this film makes me question that if his parents never divorced, would Frank Jr. never commit the crimes he has done, or would he still do it at some point? I mean, he is already a good con man even before their divorce anyway. So maybe. We will never really know.

Now, let’s talk about the 2 main characters of this film.

Ria: Frank Abagnale Jr. I see him as a really sad, lonely, teenager from a broken family with quick-wit and just really wants to survive. He’s not the type who does elaborate pieces of conning and plans them well. No, he’s more of the “oh, there’s an opportunity here! *lie*” to live day-to-day. He’s kind of a genius that could’ve cultivated even more things in life other than tricking other people if he were brought up a bit differently.

Carl Hanratty is a character I liked a lot. With his pursuit for Frank, he became the only person who had a real connection with him (well, aside from the dad) and actually respected all that Frank has done. He really acknowledges that this young man was able to do that as a teen.

There was this scene where Carl says that Frank doesn’t have anyone to call and it just hits hard. I think we really see here how lonely Frank is and how he has been broken just because of his family. Now, all he does is lie and run from the FBI.

Jhanya: As mentioned, Hanratty really became the only person, other than his father, to have a real connection with Frank Jr. because, despite all the women and pleasure that he received over the 5 years, Frank Jr. couldn’t really form proper relationships and settle down due to him never knowing when he had to escape, once again, from Hanratty. Though this film is based on the real-life Frank Abagnale Jr., Carl Hanratty’s character was very loosely based on O'Reilly, the person who chased down the real Frank Jr. But with Tom Hanks’ performance, I really wish it was true.

Final Thoughts

Ria: Overall, I liked this movie. It has witty humor to it. There’s the dealing of emotional trauma and survival. There’s the irony wherein the person chasing Frank is one of the few people who actually respected him. The movie hit quite a lot of my points and the acting of the main cast was admirable. This is probably not something I would watch again only because this is sort of based on a true story and just thinking that a teen had to go through all that is heartbreaking. Nevertheless, I definitely recommend this as an entertainment watch with a tinge of emotional depth.

Jhanya: Catch Me is definitely one of my favorite Spielberg films to date along with Minority Report, Saving Private Ryan, and Jurassic Park. Though lighter than his other films, Catch Me is a very likable film with the help of its nail-biting sequences and a star-studded cast that really brings this film to a whole ‘nother level. A definite must-watch for all movie lovers out there if you haven’t already.