One of the most amazing, perhaps too-good-to-be-true stories ever told on the big screen – and in the hands of Steven Spielberg, a perfect fit.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is based on the real-life exploits of teen conman Frank Abagnale, who before he turned twenty had forged thousands and thousands of cheques, as well as impersonating an airline pilot amongst other things.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays Abagnale, who suffers the heartache of his parents (Christopher Walken, Nathalie Baye) divorce and is given a cheque book by his father, who is under investigation for tax fraud. Before long the ruse begins to work, but an adept FBI investigator, Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) (the role was based on a real-life investigator, Joseph Shea) spots the discrepancies and manages to start piecing together Abagnale’s plan.
Abagnale then poses as a doctor, where he woos receptionist Brenda (Amy Adams in an early role), but the FBI are closing in…
An entertaining romp of a film that elevates thanks to the excellent performances of DiCaprio and Hanks and is styled in the manner of some of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1950s American films.