Catch Me If You Can (Full Screen Two-Disc Special Edition)

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And he did it all before his 21st birthday!, 2010-07-15
The story is true. Frank Abagnale Jr. was a young man who, before turning 21, forged numerous checks and became one of the biggest con men in the United States. Catch Me If You Can is, of course, loosely based on his life and work, but it's still entertaining and fascinating to watch. Normally, I'm not a fan of Spielberg, but he's done a really good job with recreating the 50's and 60's. The costume and set designers should be given equal credit with their excellent work. Leonardo DiCaprio gives a believable performance as Abagnale himself, while Tom Hanks is brilliant as the Carl Hanratty, the FBI agent who is willing to stop this man from creating more fake checks and assuming more fake identities. Christopher Walken does what he does best, even if he doesn't seem to fit the role as Frank's father. Nathalie Baye as Frank's mother is very convincing, probably even more convincing than DiCaprio. Martin Sheen is also a nice addition to the supporting cast. br / br /Keep in mind, though, that this is not a serious hard-hitting biography, but rather, a comedy-drama that doesn't really take itself seriously. It's good for laughs, and it does its job well. The only problem is that it's a bit too long, and it could have been slightly shortened. Catch Me If You Can is still an entertaining movie, and if you love Spielberg (or Hanks, or DiCaprio for that matter), then you'll love this one. br / br /Grade: B

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Catch This Movie if You Can, 2010-07-15
Being a stickler for realism, the coming attractions of this movie had no appeal for me as I beheld the boyish face Leonardo Decaprio in a Pan Am uniform of a first officer, knowing intimately that gray hair and a cane was almost a prerequisite for that airline's cockpit personnel. Imagine my surprise as the story came to TV and I found myself enjoying one scene after another. br / br /Decaprio plays, Frank Abagnale Jr., a modern day Ferdinand Waldo Demara, with a twist. He makes emotional attachments along the way as he starts conning and defrauding very early in life, at about the same time that his father and mother start to separate. br / br /Chasing Frank is a stuffy, Catholic, typical, white-shirted FBI Agent named Carl Hanratty who seems outwitted by his prey at every turn, as he comes up one step behind. Frank's greatest caper, along with passing forged Pan Am checks is puddle-jumping on other airlines while pretending to be a Pan Am pilot. Ever the ladies' man he meets stewardesses and hookers whom he cons as if it is was the most natural thing in the world. But our Frank isn't content with being a mere pilot. br / br /Faking diplomas from Harvard, he passes himself off as a doctor where he works in a hospital emergency room directing other interns to take care of the patients. Just to round out his curriculum vitae, he decides it would be nice to be a lawyer as he woos a prosecutor's daughter. With two weeks of study, he passes the bar exam in Louisiana. The only problem is that darned FBI agent Hanratty won't give up coming after him. br / br /He seems to be the perfect candidate for a psychopath. His happy home is broken by his father's financial and business misfortune, His mother leaves his father for the father's lawyer, and Frank takes pity on the father who thinks the government is after him for everything. It is obvious he worships a man who is a failure, but still does everything he can to gain his approval. br / br /Steven Spielberg's direction is as upbeat as the movie's tempo and dialogue. The viewer may develop a fondness for the pursuer and the pursued. There is a happy ending for both of them. br / br /The real Frank Abagnale had a cameo appearance in this movie, playing one of the French police that captured Abignale in France. br / br /The End (almost) br / br /Sometimes real life turns out to be even more interesting than the fiction, and this was no different. I was more than interested in the man who reminded me of "The Great Imposter," Ferdinand Waldo Demara. br / br /The real Frank Abagnale Jr. made his first con against his father. He asked his father for a credit card so he could date the many women he admired. In order to get the cash, he used the card, told the garage to keep the batteries, sets of tires and gasoline, resell them, and give him cash. br / br /He served time in more jails than is shown in the movie. He served time in Sweden, six months in French jails and a few years in federal penitentiaries where he escaped from one pretending to be a prison inspector. br / br /In addition to being a "doctor" and "lawyer," Frank faked credentials to gain a teaching assistant job at Columbia University in New York. br / br /Frank's fortune changed after he was fired from one job after another when a background check revealed his prison record. He approached one bank with an offer. He would give them a lecture on detecting bank fraud. They wouldn't have to pay him if they didn't like it. If they did, they would pay him $500 AND tell other banks about his work. He ended up making millions. br / br /He currently lives and works in Tulsa, OK, and is still good friends with Special Agent Joe Shaye (known in the movie as Carl Hanratty). br / br /

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Jovial escapades of an evil genius..., 2010-07-15
Ok, not evil, but whatever. br / br /This lighthearted offering from Steven Spielberg is superior to `The Terminal' but not quite as infectious as his beauties like `E.T.'. It is fun and exciting and engaging, but I find it also to be slightly forgettable. It is one of those films that leaves no complaints while in the midst of enjoying it, but it isn't one that you're going to remember three days later. br / br /Make sense? br / br /The film tells the true story of con-man Frank Abagnale Jr., who by the time he was 21 had made a living at deceiving and `stealing' from the government. He was a pilot, a doctor, a lawyer, all the while never being any of those things. He was, simply put, a genius. Carl Hanratty was the FBI agent who was on his tail for years, never quite getting close enough to catch him (well, eventually), always one step behind. br / br /One thing to describe this film is `jovial'. It is a happy fun film. Within the restraints of the genre it works nicely. It does lack the `human' element that could have really set this film apart (and made it more memorable). While the film remains exciting and entertaining it lacks that gut punch that could have made this movie `mean something', and in the end it would have completed it. That said, happy is what happy does, and happy does a lot for this film. Not only is the plot rather boisterous, but the performances are all just so delightful. Leonardo DiCaprio captures the suave and childlike adorableness of Frank Jr. rather remarkably. A lot of my cinephile friends consider this one of his best performances. I kind of agree, since it really capitalizes on everything that makes him such an endearing actor. This is a far better performance than his confused turn in `Gangs of New York', which was released the same year. Tom Hanks is perfectly matched here, for he really understands how to play up the genre here. As many know, I am not a gigantic fan of Mr. Hanks, so for me to praise a performance takes a lot from me. But, as anyone who knows me knows, I consider his lighthearted `non-baity' work to be his best (see `Big' and `That Thing You Do' for examples). Christopher Walken may not be the most jovial character in the bunch (and he does insert the films only `human' element) but he nails his character. br / br /Also, look for Amy Adams in a scene stealing supporting role! br / br /All in all, `Catch Me If You Can' delivers a very strong and very likable experience. It's a film that may not `stick with you', but it is a film you will have no quarrels with watching again and again.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Documentary, 2010-07-11
A documentary of a con man. It is well done as a motion picture, but has the usual problem of documentaries, i.e., they can drag on a bit. It would be nice, I suppose, to have a sequel. I assume the individual is out of prison by now, doing whatever. If he had played things straight, he probably would have become a Wall Street tycoon.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Wow!, 2010-06-26
The DVD set arrived on time and in mint condition, still enclosed in wrapper. The fascinating true story about a highly intelligent and gifted teenager, who re-invents himself as an airplane pilot, a doctor, and assumes many high level personas. His adventures, despite their illegal nature, appear as that of a delinquent teenager more than a crook. A surprise ending portrays how a prisoner becomes a hugely valuable and productive member of society. The second disc is fascinating as interviews with the mature con man letting you in on the secrets of his history of assumed identity. Not to be missed! Leonardo Decaprio at his outstanding best.