Hello friends and welcome back to the Train; I am your host and conductor for this evening continuing our very merry espionage Christmas. Foremost, thank you all for the warm feedback from the first outing in this marathon, where I reviewed the classic comedy TV series Get Smart. This week we’ll look over the Steven Spielberg semi-sweet caper Catch Me if you Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. Let’s get this show rolling!
In a biographical depiction of a real-life con artist, the tale follows the timeline of Frank Abagnale Jr.. Imitating in his father’s footsteps, he fabricates intricate replicas of checks and extorts thousands of dollars. He is a man of many faces, posing as a doctor, an airline pilot, and a lawyer, all while being pursued by FBI agent Carl Hanratty. The charismatic criminal leveraged by many ironic twists and a handful of narrow escapes is able to maintain a years-long cat and mouse game with the bewildered Feds.
This doesn’t feel like a Spielberg film in the normal regard, although there are many great touches added into the experience, especially a certain one. The performances, in particular Hanks, DiCaprio, and Christopher Walken as Frank Abagnale Sr., are astounding. Our leading role has the facade of a charming young fellow, masking his less-than-savory, fraudulent methods. Hanks provides unquestionable confidence and gusto for the officer constantly trailing the con man at every side road. And I could say we can all admit that Christopher Walken isn’t always a hard-hitter, but his job here is executed well enough to blossom into one of my favorites from the actor.
A thing I do not recommend is being turned off by the roughly 140 minute length of Catch Me if you Can. Honestly, the intimidation was oh-so palpable for me, but I was pleasantly relieved when I found myself swept up in a easygoing breeze. Not much feels stretched thin or utterly unfeasible, just steady and a nearly effortless watch. I also tend to be a sucker for opening title sequences, and this one’s was no exception. By the way, the art style of the extended titles has an appetizing story behind it featured on ‘artofthetitle.com’, which I immensely suggest to those whom wonder.
Do I have any problems with this Spielberg outing, I ask myself. Not necessarily, it’s filmed and written and directed well-done, thus a fresh inquiry comes knocking at my door; why isn’t this a so-and-so perfect film? Well, in my square mindset, there is two notes I believe in this situation. One, I’m not sure there really is a flawless motion picture. Nothing’s perfect, after all. And on the contrary, it relatively boils down to personal preference. Flaws can be transparent, but some flicks might not have the novelty of pure entertainment, scene consistency, nor all-around admirable characters. Allow me to phrase it in this sense, DiCaprio presents a marvelous performance as Abagnale, even if I don’t truly root for his role in the traditional manner. Yes, his con man personality is wrong and criminal, neither of which I respect, although the acting shines well.
In conclusion, Spielberg’s Catch Me if you Can is a lively ride with never a dull moment in it’s over two-hour runtime. The experience, thanks to the engrossing disjointed narrative and pleasurable execution, it barely takes a moment in-between the lines. Not as brilliant as, say, Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List, but most viewers will guaranteed have a whiz-bang time. Written with sharp wit, richly acted… folks, this is top notch stuff! Switch on and enjoy.
RATING: 8/10 “100% Raw Recommend (or your money back)”
HAVE A MERRY ESPIONAGE CHRISTMAS!
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NEXT WEEK | More Lost Media, including the infamous Dr Goldfoot and the Unused Coraline Album by They Might Be Giants, on {Out of Order}
Lighttrain Reviews 
Ok…semi-sweet, savory… Those were the only food references I could come up with.
I saw this movie, once. That was enough. I like most Spielberg movies but, I’m not a big DiCaprio fan…or Damon for that matter (they resemble each other like Johnny Depp & Skeet Ulrich) and toss in Eric Dane, too.
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Yeah, not a huge DiCaprio fan either. Thanks for stopping by! And apologies for the slowness… I’ve just been really busy, y’know.
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No need to apologize to me. Dude, you run your blog as you see fit. No worries…
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I enjoyed this movie a lot. It’s one my husband rewatches and I don’t mind rewatching. The fact that it is based on real people, and the respect between the two main characters are my favorite bits.
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