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CATCH
ME IF YOU CAN Rating:  Director: Steven Spielberg Writer: Jeff Nathanson Producers: Steven Spielberg, Walter F. Parkes Director of Photography: Janusz Kaminski Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Natalie Baye Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew |
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Review by: Ryan
Kugler
01/03/02
Although the good old days of such classic fare as Jaws, Close Encounters and Raiders of the Lost Ark (the best adventure of all-time) are far behind us, I would still consider Steven Spielberg to be a master storyteller and one of our very best filmmakers. At the same time, the man hasn't made a truly great film since Schindler's List; though I've found each of his successive projects to have enough merit, that I still look forward to seeing his stuff.
The main problem that I've had of late (and I'm sure that our readers can come up with a lot more than just this one) is that whatever good came in the first 90% of the post-Schindler releases, the endings have sucked. In fact, clip the last five minutes (and the first five while you're at it) from Pvt. Ryan and the last twenty from Minority and you have a couple of potential classics (some would say that if you clipped the entire running time from A.I., you'd have a classic as well). I experienced this very same frustration with Catch Me If You Can (which doesn't have a bad ending per se, just one that takes twenty minutes too long to reach). In this case though, there are a few things other than a seemingly non-ending conclusion for me to fully recommend it. Yes, it's true, Spielberg's newest is pretty slight, fairly unmemorable and overall, I'd consider it to be one of his lesser works (not quite Always, but miles away from E.T. ).
Catch Me is loosely (very loosely according to the real life subject) based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr., a con artist who over the years (according to the film), got away with cashing over four million dollars in fraudulent checks. After a kickass opening credit sequence (the highlight of the entire film), we meet Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio, solid and way more in his element than he was in the otherwise superior Gangs of New York). Frank appears to be a happy-go-lucky teenager who has a cool father (the excellent Christopher Walken, underplaying his role for a change) and a loving mother (Nathalie Bye), whose marriage is unfortunately, going through some tough times. It's in these opening moments that we also catch a glimpse of the dishonest side of Frank Sr., whose attempted scams sow the seeds that later grow in his son.
Problems arise for the family when Jr. catches his mother in the act with another man. Later on, when asked to pick either his mother or father when their divorce is announced, he chooses to run away (from home and from reality). He hits the road (as well as state after state and country after country) and goes on to carve out a nice living impersonating people (an airline pilot, a suave secret agent, a teacher, a doctor, etc.) and committing fraud.
The Feds eventually catch onto this guy
and Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks, using an annoying-as-hell
accent) takes the case. What follows is a light-as-a-feather comic/dramatic/romantic/chase-filled
romp with some very good moments (the stuff between father and
son, as well as Frank's fling with a prostitute, well played by
Jennifer Garner) and some painfully dull ones (the stuff involving
the girl that he eventually falls for and most of the stuff involving
Hanratty).
The production values here are top-notch, as this truly is a great
looking film with flawless production design and beautiful cinematography
(that perfectly captures the earlier and far more innocent era
in which the story takes place). It's also a well-directed piece,
and although there's nothing in it that would lead you to believe
that Spielberg called the shots, it's a nice example of what he
can do with a genre different from the ones that he's used to
working in.
I just wish that the story being told (courtesy of Jeff Nathanson's by-the-numbers screenplay) were a little more exciting and a lot less routine. There's really nothing in this film that you don't see coming a mile away (except for the ironic ending, which as mentioned above, comes long after it should) and it's yet another example where watching the trailer could be considered good enough (as it's pretty much all there). I guess the main problem that I had with the whole thing was its lack of urgency. It was pretty repetitive and just kind of moved along in slow motion. I was bored when I should have been captivated.
With a fun title like Catch Me If You
Can, I expected to be caught up in the excitement that was
this man's life, instead of spending large chunks of the running
time greatly anticipating the moment when he would finally get
pinched, so that this long-winded film (like this long-winded
sentence) would finally end.
(A DreamWorks Pictures release. Opened wide on December 25,
2002.)
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