Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Nathalie Baye, Christopher Walken, Tom Hanks, Amy Adams, Martin Sheen
Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Catch Me If You Can
This movie, based upon the life of Frank Abagnale Jr., adds humor, compassion, and a genuine sense of helping someone save himself. Tom Hanks plays Carl Hanratty, an FBI bank fraud specialist. He pursues Leonardo DiCaprio, who portrays the teenage, extremely clever con man, Frank Abagnale Jr. Hanratty (the real life person's name is O'Reilly) doggedly pursues his man and finally catches him. Humorously portrayed as sometimes bumbling, with FBI scenes that, in real life, could never have been so inept, the movie shows the truly decent side of Hanratty. In the end, you realize the humor and have immense respect for Hanratty.
Through flashbacks, expertly done, you view many aspects of Frank's life and are able to understand at least part of his motivation for his life of crime. Writing bad
checks as a source of income, Frank bluffs his way to employment as a copilot, a doctor in charge of an emergency room, and a lawyer. One thing that really baffled Hanratty is how on earth could Frank pass the bar exam.
When Frank is finally caught and imprisoned, Hanratty felt compassion and tried to help him. After four years effort, Hanratty succeeds in having Frank serve the remainder of his sentence under Hanratty's charge. Hanratty gets Frank working for the FBI, helping foil other fraudulent check writers. Hanratty's trust and his putting his own neck on the limb pays off. Frank stops running and stays with the FBI. The movie ends with a statement that Frank has served the FBI faithfully for twenty-eight years. He has helped solve many bank frauds and helped banks produce checks less easily tampered with. Frank has earned a honest living ever since. He and Hanratty (O'Reilly) are still close friends. This true life movie will not only entertain you with its thrilling escapes and humor, it will also inspire you with faith that America is still the land of opportunity, even for someone who starts off on the wrong side of the law.
--Maurice A. Williams, Resident Scholar
Based on the true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr., this 2002 film tells the story of a teenager in the late 1960s who ran away from a disintegrating home and became one of the most successful impersonators and bank fraud con artists of all time. Frank (DiCaprio) manages to pretend to be a teacher, an airline pilot, a Harvard-educated physician, and a Berkeley-educated lawyer, as well as to cash more than $2.6 million in bad checks in roughly 26 countries before the age of 19. DiCaprio is good, Hanks only okay as Carl Hanratty, the stolid FBI agent with the undependable Boston accent who tracks Abagnale. After a series of directors became unavailable for the project, Steven Spielberg directed this film himself, with a lovely light touch. The story has a strongly sad and tender streak running through it, much of it relating to Frank Abagnale, Sr., wonderfully played by a distinctly un-creepy Walken.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
This movie is based on the story of Frank Abagnale, Jr (DiCaprio). Abagnale, while a teen in the 1960s, managed to write over $4 million in bad checks and impersonate such figures as a pilot, doctor, attorney and apartment owner. All the while he was being tracked down by FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Hanks).
--Ben, Resident Scholar
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Analysis of Catch Me If You Can
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1960's-1970's
Crime & Scandal
Yes
Story of
- criminals on the run
- con-artist/white collar crime
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- thief/con artist
Age:
- a teen
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
Hair color?
- blonde
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average
Unclothed?
- Chest
Events of movie makes character more...
- caring
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Genius
Physique
- very athletic
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair style
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average build
How much in movie?
- 40%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 60%
Hair color
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Southeast
- Northeast
- Deep South
- California
Europe
Yes
European country:
- France
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
- Los Angeles
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
- prison
- resort/hotel
- scientific labs
- school
- bar
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- excited
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
- sex under blankets
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
If this is a kid's movie...
- Ages 10-15
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Jazz/r&b
Is this movie based on a
- book
