Frank Abagnale Jr. (DiCaprio) is the teenage son of married couple Frank William Abagnale (Christopher Walken) and Paula (Nathalie Baye). Mr. Abagnale is a successful business owner in New Rochelle, NY that affords a very fruitful life for the small family, with “Frankie” in private school and other coveted amenities. The problem with this picket fence facade is that Frank Sr. has been cheating on his taxes. Big time. And now the IRS is forcing him to “pay the penalty” by levying his shop. This forces the Abagnales out of the high perch, and down to more “meager” living situations. While Jr. seems to be adjusting to this “slower paced” life just fine, the same can not be said for Paula. Soon she takes up an extra-marital affair with one Jack Barnes (James Brolin), who has been a long time business associate and friend of Mr. Abagnale.
Frank’s world takes a tumble after retuning home from school one afternoon. Inevitably, his parents are beginning the painful road divorce street, which comes as an intolerable shock to the young teenager. Within minutes of learning the news, the mediator tells Frank he must choose which parent he would like to live with. While Sr. ensures him there is “no wrong answer,” it’s still too much for him to cope. Hastily, the “kid” flies the coup and begins running away from his problems. The only source of influence still left to his disposal are fifty Chase Manhattan checks given to him by Sr. for his birthday. With only $25 to his name, the kid gets creative, and proves that cunning intellect runs in the family. Soon, Frank’s antics graduate from petty “cold check” writing to full on flim-flam crime. This draws the ire of financial fraud mastermind, FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), who vows to his higher ups that this new unsub “will be caught.” But as the movie title suggest, that’s much easier said that done. This twists and turns into an incredibly entertaining film in which one person’s need for escape is at odds with another man’s need for career fulfillment. But it becomes unclear which individual belongs to these necessities.
Save whatever opinion you may have about Spielberg, it’s hard to ague that a director does the vanilla “classic Hollywood style” better these days. I personally criticize him for being a little “too safe” is his older directing days. But in terms of the “invisible editing”/traditional camera work/normal narrative arch pictures, it would be difficult to say someone is leagues ahead with this template in place. To that, Catch Me is a perfect example. Screen economy is a constant; doing the most in the least amount of time. Every decision made in the final take (angle, dialogue, performance, score, ect.) is for a purpose. And that purpose is to keep the telling this incredible true story moving forward. Jeff Nathanson is the main writer that adapted the book written by Frank Abagnale himself. I haven’t read the book personally, but I’ve heard from readers that it leans a bit into the biography territory from time to time. Catch Me, the film, is all about narrative. This is not a bio piece. Nathanson and company framed this in such a way as to ensure nothing became bigger than Frank’s acts of fraud and how Hanratty reacts and adapts to these evolutions. Words can’t do justice to how cleanly and pristine-ly this is presented.
No slouch either are the amazing performances. To briefly speak on the obvious, DiCaprio and Hanks are at their best in this. Maybe not their “pinnacle” work (particularly for Tom, who has Gump to his credit), but still quite captivating. Leonardo’s ability to noticeably shift his emotional states and maturity level though out all portions of his “method” solidifies his top billing. And Hanks becomes the perfect stone face/no nonsense counter to the opposite’s mile-a-minute, live in the moment, boyish travels. What magnifies these two are the supporting pieces. Christopher Walken will always “do him,” we all know (and have come to love him) for it. But there are sparks of true heart and vulnerability. Particularly in exchanges with “his son.” Watching this again through my critic’s glasses, I picked up on these powerful subtleties. Martin Sheen (who is the father of Frank’s love interest in the second act) also adds charm by setting a “down home” tempo with his portrayal; one that puts family and love above all things. This becomes important during DiCaprio’s continued growth. Another key aspect to this production is the outstanding musical score. One of (and for my money the) best score composers ever, John Williams, lends his exquisite talents to establish the “feeling” this film emits. Most who watch Catch Me are quick to say it’s a “fun” movie to watch, even to being light hearted. Just on the face of it’s prevailing themes: deceit, thievery, forgery, elusion of authority, adolescent crime, one shouldn’t be so hasty to retort “great time!” But they wouldn’t be wrong to say as much. The principle influence to this school of thought is Williams amazing musical pulse. Any scene that could be guiled as a bit heavy is quickly lightened up with orchestral comfort. Scores are routinely underrated in their effect on films. If there was ever a survey constructed of just how influential accompaniment can be, this could serve as a founding source.
As any really good Blu-ray package, this has solid Special Features.
-“Catch Me If You Can: Behind the Camera”: standard featurette with members of the production crew, like Spielberg, Nathanson, and producer Walter F. Parkes, chatting about the process of adapting the book to the screen and the array of influences used to present this extraordinary account.
-“CAST Me If You Can: The Casting of the Film”: sit-downs with many members of the cast, with them telling how they got involved with the project, and how the crew inspired their work.
-“Scoring: Catch Me If You Can“: Interview wit the maestro himself John Williams talking about the different musical themes used throughout the film from “whimsical” to “tension” filled moments, and the challenges this balancing act presented.
-“Frank Abagnale: Between Reality and Fiction”: More cast/crew stuff with them telling how having the real Frank Jr. on set afforded a sincere attachment that raised their performances, as well as interviews with Mr. Abagnale himself.
-“The FBI Perspective”: Illustrates how the “investigative” scenes were shot with the help of a former F.B.I Technical Advisor William J. Rehder.
-“Catch Me If You Can: In Closing”: Final words on all the great aspects of the film and what makes them work so well.
-Photo Galleries.
