CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
US, 2002, 142 minutes, Colour.
Leonardo di Caprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye, Amy Adams, James Brolin.
Directed by Stephen Spielberg.
Frank W.Abignale Jr assured interviewers during his promotion tours for Catch Me If You Can that the events portrayed were basically accurate. He also assured audiences who might be alarmed that the movie says that crime pays that he has literally paid his debt to society (with a substantial income from consultancies to counter the kinds of frauds that he indulged in).
Leonardo di Caprio still looks boyish enough to convince us that he is a teenage imposter. His movie career has given him enough experience to bring some depth to the extraordinary bravado of Frank Abignale and to the depth of feeling he has for his father and, eventually, for his FBI pursuer, Carl. Catch Me If You Can has several key sequences which take place at Christmas. Frank calls Carl Hanratty to make some contact knowing that Carl is working late and alone in his office. As the movie progresses, it is clear that they are bonding like father and son.
Part of the charm as well as the roguery of Frank Abignale is his deep love for his father. He admires him, he takes his cue from him with the story of the enterprising mouse. He shares his father's sense of fun and tweaking his nose at authority. He is driven, while pretending to successful characters, to make up to his father all that he lost. His
parents' divorce is traumatic and drives him away from home. His final visits with his father sadden him and the news of his death is a shock. In the meantime, he has found another father, Hanratty. Just as he revealed his own father in his exciting and lying escapades, for the rest of his life, in working for the FBI, he reveals the qualities of Carl Hanratty.
While Tom Hanks has a role which is the opposite of flamboyant, he is completely convincing as a humourless,
conscientious and dedicated filed officer. Christopher Walken (to whom di Caprio bears a persuasive resemblance to be his son) is by turns endearing and sinister.
This is a Steven Spielberg movie. After several very serious movies (Amistad, Private Ryan, AI, Minority Report), he seems to be enjoying this colourful and often comic story which takes up his favourite themes of abandoned children. The screenplay, however, with its moving backwards and forwards in time, seems unnecessarily cumbersome.
1. A light Stephen Spielberg comedy (despite the length)? The playfulness of the credits? The tone of the film, the musical soundtrack and the period, the bright colours - the reflection of Frank's world?
2. The film based on a true story, its credibility, style of life and America in the '60s, later? Frank Abignale as adviser, and his caution at the end about justice and his repaying all his debts?
3. The film as a piece of Americana of the 60s and 70s, the good-looking young well-dressed white American and his ability to con anyone? The New York State locations, New York City, Florida, Georgia, New Orleans, France?
4. The structure of the film: the French prison and Frank's plight, Carl Hanratty coming to interview him, his performance, Hanratty organising the extradition, Frank performing although sick? This meaning that the audience knew the ending at the very beginning? The impact then of the flashbacks?
5. Leonardo di Caprio as Frank Abignale, as a young boy, as an adult? Making a credible performance to show that Frank really could have existed and done the things he claimed? The portrayal of his character, his abilities, life in the family, at school, jobs and his bravado, daring, the conman and his talents? Yet a lonely young man, wanting to bond with his father, gradually alienated from his father and feeling his rejection? His absent mother, Carl Hanratty as becoming a father-figure? The glimpse of his mother and half-sister? Justice and his future?
6. New York State in the 60s? School, business? Frank's age, his father's award and speech about the frogs? His bond with his mother, the joyful household? His father's financial troubles and the IRS, pretending to be his chauffeur to make an impression, Dad supporting him in these impersonations? His going to the new school, the kids picking on him, pretending to be the French teacher? The headmaster calling in the parents, his father's response and encouraging his son? The seemingly happy home life and the memories of France?
7. The portrait of Frank's parents, Frank Sr and his place in the community, the award, his speech, the conman in himself, the deals, his failure, being pursued by the IRS, going to interviews but failing to convince people? A man of bravado and failure? The memories of the war, meeting his wife, the romance, the marriage, her coming to America? Their belonging to the club? Jack Barnes and his friendship, the irony of the affair and Frank discovering it? The mother and her cover-up of the affair, her decision to leave, the divorce?
8. The effect on Frank? His leaving home, down and out, trying to work out what he would do, seeing the brochure about pilots and their glamorous life, seeing the flight attendants? His application, his skill in building up stories about himself, not seeing them as lies? His acceptance, going to the training, the glamour of the pilot's life? Of the flights, his not knowing the details even about the seats? His moving to Los Angeles, being pursued by Hanratty, paying the cheques, the development of his scheme and signature? The banks and their believing him? Hanratty arriving at the hotel, his pretending that Abignale had just left? Fooling him? His going to Atlanta, meeting Brenda at the hospital, deciding to become a doctor, watching the TV soaps and learning about medical procedure in surgery , his using it, the reaction of the other staff/? His squeamish reaction to the surgery? His falling in love with Brenda, her background story, being turned out by her conservative parents, the abortion? Inviting him to New Orleans? His arrival, meeting the family, ingratiating himself with them, especially with Brenda's father? His bold talk about the law, studying it, passing the law exam, becoming part of the firm? The engagement party, Hanratty and his pursuit, the plan to meet Brenda at the airport, her giving the information to the authorities? His waiting at the airport, disguising himself once more as a pilot, escaping to France? His precarious existence in France, his skill in forging, seeing him at work in the laboratory? His being arrested, collapsing, ill, his reaction to the French authorities, their treatment of him, Hanratty's arrival, his still trying to pretend, the extradition?
9. The character of Hanratty, the dedicated FBI man in the Hoover era, severe and humourless, his reaction to his colleagues, the background of his divorce and not seeing his child, the loner? His relentless pursuit, accountability to his bosses? Tracking the cheques and finding out about the method of forging? Going to the hotel in Los Angeles, being conned by Frank? The phone calls and the growing friendship between them? The continued pursuit over the years? Christmas time and his working alone, Frank's calls to him, his becoming a surrogate father-figure? Frank becoming a surrogate son-figure for him? The failure in New Orleans, the failure at the airport? His going to France, extraditing him?
10. Frank and his continued meeting with his father, his father getting down and out and demeaning jobs, security? His father's refusal of the car and the other gifts that Frank was offering him? Going to see his mother, on the outside, looking in on his mother and Jack, their daughter, the little girl coming to the window? His hearing of his father's death only from Hanratty?
11. The range of people tricked, the bank personnel, Brenda, her father and mother, the people at the party? The prostitute and his dealing with her, offering her a cheque and getting change?
12. His going to prison, serving his time, Hanratty's proposal, his accepting it, going to work, discovering fraud? The temptation to escape, Hanratty fearing that he had, his return to work, the development of trust?
13. Frank Abignale's continued success in investigating fraud, writing manuals, helping the authorities against people like himself? American irony?
