Rent Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Great Old School Chase Thriller - Catch Me If You Can review by GI

From the opening titles to the 1960s setting and the narrative structure and editing style this is clearly a film centred around director Steven Spielberg's love of Alfred Hitchcock and especially his late 50s and early 60s thrillers. To that end this is endlessly entertaining and whilst some of the plot is really unbelievable that simply adds to the sheer delight of the film as it homages such wonderful cinema as North By Northwest (1959) or Torn Curtain (1966). In a charming performance Leonardo DiCaprio is Frank Abagnale, based on a real conman, who learns from his small time grifter father (Christopher Walken) how to commit cheque fraud. he basically grows very adept at it and in addition can utilise disguise to con his way to defrauding banks and institutions from playing an airline pilot, a doctor and a lawyer. The basic plot is a cat and mouse one as he is chased throughout by FBI Agent carl (Tom Hanks) who learns quickly how his prey operates after being fooled by him a few times. Carl runs the lowly Cheque Fraud Unit but soon identifies Frank is netting several millions by his actions. A piece of old school cinema with a great support cast that includes Jennifer Garner, Amy Adams, Martin Sheen, James Brolin and Elizabeth Banks. A Spielberg film that is worth rediscovering and possibly one that gets forgotten amongst his more celebrated and bigger films.