Catch Me If You Can

UK Release Date: 31 January 2003
Certification: 12A
Director: Steven Spielberg 
Cast: Amy Adams, Nathalie Baye, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Martin Sheen, Christopher Walken
Rating: 77%

"Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream..."

Review:
I was unaware of the true events that inspired Catch Me If You Can, I thought it was a just another crime movie. I was pleasantly surprised watching the story of Frank Abagnale Jr unfold. It was really interesting and I enjoyed the Dr. Connors plotline the most, particularly the "Do you concur?" scene. 

As you may already be aware Tom Hanks is my favourite actor. I found his portrayal of Carl Hanratty lacklustre and I didn't enjoy his performance on this occasion. On the other hand Leonardo Caprio in the lead role of Frank Abagnale Jr is phenomenal and outshone Tom Hanks. In addition, Christopher Walken and Amy Adams are great in supporting roles. Christopher Walken received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2003 for his performance as Frank Abagnale Sr. 

At times Catch Me If You Can is a little confused. In the space of a couple years he jumps from being a pilot, to a doctor and then to an attorney. Frank's parents get divorced and he gets engaged. I have probably missed something out. It's hard to keep up at times.

[Spoiler] The end of Catch Me If You Can is really heart-warming in my opinion. Carl Hanratty enlists the expertise of Frank Abagnale Jr and employs him as part of the FBI staff. His trust is repaid and both the men who inspired the movie remained good friends throughout their lives.

One aspect of Catch Me If You Can which I did not expect but, of course, really liked was the comic book references. There were nods to Spider-Man [Dr. Connors is the alter ego of the Lizard] and The Flash [Barry Allen is the original Flash]. In fact, the use of comic book alter egos is the reason Carl Hanratty identified and caught Frank Abagnale Jr in Catch Me If You Can. Apparently, Frank Abagnale Jr did not do this in real life.