Crime & Redemption in Catch Me If You Can. Review on Catch Me If You Can Movie

Catch Me If You Can is the wonderful new film from director Steven Spielberg that was inspired by the true life story of Frank Abagnale Jr (Leonardo DiCaprio), whose world was torn upside down due to the financial and marital difficulties as faced by his parents in the 1960s.

As such, at the tender age of 16, Frank escapes his home life and the race is on - and for the next five years his life turns to that of conning and scheming. His new life is that of forged cheques and stolen identities, as he successfully impersonates a professor, pilot, doctor, lawyer and even a number of low-key celebrities such as Sir Ian Flemming. In total, Frank Abagnale would go on to steal more than $2.5 million dollars from every state and a handful of foreign countries. Of course, all good things must come to an end, and Frank is eventually caught, by the French police and FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks).

And Catch Me If You Can is a very wild ride indeed. Spielberg spins a tale that moves at a fast pace that has the power to keep audiences at the edge of their seat wondering what is going to happen next. The cinematography and choreography is sharp and really does have a vibrant flare that is seldom experienced in movies now-a-days. The film's opening credits are also a nice tip of the hat to the story that is to unfold - laying down the foundation that this is a drama, but a light-hearted retro one as well. Kudos must go to John Williams for providing a very upbeat, jazzy Bernstein like score that truly does propel the entire story along.

And at the same time, the film is grounded in reality with some wonderful character portraits and strong acting by DiCaprio, Hanks and Christopher Walken, who plays Frank Abagnale Sr with a fine balance of heart and respect, painting a portrait of a man who is truly caught between a rock and a hard place. But the true star of the film is DiCaprio, who paints the portrait of a young man torn to see his family brought back together in happiness, but whose means of achieving this are flawed. Frank Abagnale Jr is a very charismatic, bold and charming young man, and in that respect Catch Me If You Can really is a modern day tragedy - with everything that made Frank great leading to his eventual downfall.

And yet, the movie shines hope onto its story and its characters: in that no matter how horrible life may become, there is always a chance for some good to shine through. The movie deals with the themes of loss, levels of truth, the feelings of inner punishment, confusion and redemption - a real cat and mouse game on many levels for the characters involved.

I have to admit that I laugh a little bit inside whenever I think about how Alfred Hitchcock once commented on the success of Jaws, saying something along the lines of ''how will that young man ever follow it up?'' Well, the answer today is seemingly so simple when one considers: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET, The Color Purple, Hook, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Amistad, Saving Private Ryan andAI to name but a few. Spielberg is a truly amazing director, and like Hitchcock, he has the uncanny ability to repeatedly create interestingly vibrant films that are enjoyable and moving to watch on so many levels. And Catch Me If You Can is no different, being a unique and interesting wild ride in its own right.

Grade: A-

(Movie originally reviewed on December 25, 2002)