... Such is the case of "Catch Me if You Can" a film inspired by a true story of cat and mouse between a young con man and an FBI agent. Whilst disappointing the film is not terrible, it just has a few too many flaws which detract from what could have been a decent film.
One of the main issues ... Read review
A lot less momentous in subject matter than most recent Steven Spielberg films,Catch Me If ... more
You Canis the "inspired by a true story" tale of Frank Abagnale Jr (Leonardo di Caprio), a mature-looking teenager who spent the 1960s as an odd type of conman: ...
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A lot less momentous in subject matter than most recent Steven Spielberg films,Catch Me If ... more
You Canis the "inspired by a true story" tale of Frank Abagnale Jr (Leonardo di Caprio), a mature-looking teenager who spent the 1960s as an odd type of conman: ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Inspired by the extraordinary true story of a brilliant young master of deception and the ... more
FBI agent hot on his trail, Catch Me If you can stars Oscar nominee Leonardo DiCaprio and two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks in one of the year's most acclai...
Inspired by the extraordinary true story of a brilliant young master of deception and the ... more
FBI agent hot on his trail, Catch Me If You Can stars Oscar nominee Leonardo DiCaprio and two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks in one of the year's most acclai...
Steven Spielberg directs this incredible-but-true story of the young life of Frank ... more
Abagnale Jr. Following the traumatic divorce of his beloved parents (Christopher Walken and Nathalie Baye) in the 1960s at age sixteen Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes...
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Steven Spielberg directs this incredible-but-true story of the young life of Frank ... more
Abagnale Jr. Following the traumatic divorce of his beloved parents (Christopher Walken and Nathalie Baye) in the 1960s at age sixteen Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Frank W. Abagnale, alias Frank Williams, Robert Conrad, Frank Adams and Ringo Monjo, was a ... more
daring conman, forger, impostor and escape artist. Known by the police of 26 countries and all 50 US states as "The Skywayman", Abagnale lived a sumptuous life on the run - until the law caught up with him.
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Frank W. Abagnale alias Frank Williams Robert Conrad Frank Adams and Ringo Monjo was a ... more
daring conman forger impostor and escape artist. In his brief but notorious career Abagnale donned a pilot's uniform and co-piloted a Pan Am jet masqueraded as a member of hospital management practised law without a licence passed himself off as a college sociology professor and cashed over .5 million in forged checks all before he was 21. Known by the police of 26 foreign countries and all 50 US states as "The Skywayman" Abagnale lived a sumptuous life on the run - until the law caught up with him. Now recognized as a leading authority on financial foul play Abagnale is a charming rogue whose hilarious stranger-than-fiction international escapades and ingenious escapes - including one from an aeroplane - make "Catch Me If You Can" an irresistible tale of deceit. Abagnale's story has now been made into a film starring Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio.
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Catch Me If You Can Before Before Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? (Ft Toddla T) Shes A ... more
Gangsta Travel The World (Ft N-Dubz) Change Copycat Ransom (Ft Wretch 32 & Scorcher) Living My Dream Life Your Wish Is My Command (Ft H-Boogie) We Can Do Anything (Ft Jamelia & Loick) Sorry (Ft Zalon) What About Me Day Before I Die Kidulthood 2 Adulthood (Bonus Track) Black Boys (Bonus Track)
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Production Year: 2007 - Drama - Director: Mike Binder - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett, Liv Tyler, Saffron Burrows, Donald Sutherland, Mike Binder
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 1998 - Drama - Director: Carl Franklyn, Carl Franklin - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Meryl Streep, William Hurt, Renee Zellweger, Tom Everett Scott, Nicky Katt, Lauren Graham
Drama - Director: Chazz Palminteri - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Susan Sarandon, Penelope Cruz, Paul Walker, Alan Arkin, Marcus Thomas, Donna Hanover, Robin Williams
Advantages: Entertaining if you can disengage your brain Disadvantages: Feels rushed and far too implausible
● Synopsis
After watching his parents marriage fail due to the failure of his fathers business, teenager Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes on a rollercoaster of an adventure as he cons his way into jobs as a pilot, doctor and lawyer, all amassing him a vast amount of wealth. But hot on his trail is FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) who is determined to bring the young con man in.
● Opinion ...on the back of a DVD case, that despite what sounds like an intriguing plot as well a star studded cast and an exceptionally talented director the film is going to disappoint. Such is the case of "Catch Me if You Can" a film inspired by a true story of cat and mouse between a young con man and an FBI agent. Whilst disappointing the film is not terrible, it just has a few too many flaws which detract from what could have been a decent film. more
● Synopsis
After watching his parents marriage fail due to the failure of his fathers business, teenager Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes on a rollercoaster of an adventure as he cons his way into jobs as a pilot, doctor and lawyer, all amassing him a vast amount of wealth. But hot on his trail is FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) who is determined to bring the young con man in.
● Opinion
Quite often when you read the blurb on the back of a DVD case, that despite what sounds like an intriguing plot as well a star studded cast and an exceptionally talented director the film is going to disappoint. Such is the case of "Catch Me if You Can" a film inspired by a true story of cat and mouse between a young con man and an FBI agent. Whilst disappointing the film is not terrible, it just has a few too many flaws which detract from what could have been a decent film.
One of the main issues I have with the film is that whilst it may have drawn inspiration from a true story the screenplay has obviously gone through tinsel town's glitz machine and resulted in a slightly over the top, implausible plot line which although entertaining lacks the realism that the film deserves. Now there is nothing like a bit of escapism but this is pushing the boundaries a bit far and you really have to disengage your brain to accept some of the set ups and cons which are shown in the film. Maybe these actually are real cons and events but the way the film delivers them makes them seem cartoon like in their implausibility. Another huge problem with the film is you are split as to who you are championing. Do we route for Abagnale who is enjoying himself as he cons his way through life or are we supposed to route for Hanratty as he tries to uphold the law and bring the young man in. The film never really asks us to champion one or another and that leaves you in a conundrum as there is no good guy, bad guy set up and so I found I couldn't feel for either, and wasn't to concerned at a possible outcome as to who wins. More problems continue with the fact that the story line whilst entertaining is pretty flat, there are no real elements of suspense or moments which leave you drop jawed as something amazing happens. Everything seems to be two dimensional and just plays along in the hope that it is enough to keep you watching. I wish I could say the issues stop there, but the film is also spoilt by some terrible cliché dialogue which feels completely unoriginal. Saying all that, one of the good things about the story is that it moves along at a gallop and thankfully you are not left long at any time to ponder the implausibility of what you have just watched. You would think that I don't like this film, but when you disengage your brain the film is reasonable enjoyable and entertaining.
The casting of the film is a bit hit and miss, with a few good performances but equally some poor ones, mainly due to miscasting. DiCaprio show his usual talent for playing characters younger than himself and whilst his performance is not the most intense of his career his is probably the best performance in the film. But on the downside of this is his character is actually quite annoying and at times wafer thin, leaving you with a sense of who is this guy meant to be. Sadly although DiCaprio puts in a good performance, not once are you able to become so immerse that you forget you are watching him act. The same can be said of Hanks in his role as Carl Hanratty and in my opinion a major part of miscasting. Hanks excels at playing the nice guys but struggles at everything else and whilst Hanratty is by no means a bad guy it is a difficult character to play. It doesn't help that the character itself is seriously under worked making him just another character, no real background or motivation. Then maybe that was the whole idea, make his character so lifeless that he just has work, but it fails to really deliver this in the film. Other prominent actors in the film include the likes of Christopher Walker, Martin Sheen and James Brolin but again all their characters are seriously under worked even though they are minor characters. The underlying issue is not so much with quality of the acting but the under worked characters which fail to involve you in what they are doing.
What does come as a surprise is that this is a piece of directional work from Steven Spielberg, and from such a great director you would expect more. The whole film lacks the intensity that the concept deserves and at times the whole thing feels slightly rushed, pushed out just to make money, well a lot of director's make films for money rather than artistic merit so why not Spielberg. Part of this problem probably stems from 2002 being another year where we see Spielberg put out two movies in this case "Minority Report" in the summer and "Catch Me If You Can" in the winter. But despite feeling rushed the film has some positives, the most prominent one being that it captures the feel of the 60s, when it is set, brilliantly both in set design, costume and sound track.
● Film Summary
This is a film which technically has a lot of issues, but as already mentioned, if you can disengage your brain and watch it just for the entertainment factor then it is reasonably enjoyable. For me the first time I watched it I was disappointed as I did expect so much more from a top director and leading actors, but since then I have learnt to appreciate it for what it is, just a commercial piece of entertainment. If you enjoy films such as "Ocean's Eleven" and "Matchstick Men" then you will probably enjoy this.
● Price & Availability
www.amazon.co.uk : £5.97
● Technical Details
Certificate: 12 Duration: 135 mins Year of Release: 2002 Genre: Crime, drama
Director(s): Steven Spielberg Writer(s): Jeff Nathanson
Cast: Leoardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walkern, Martin Sheen, James Brolin, Jennifer Garner
Advantages: Entertaining cat and mouse game Disadvantages: Drags a little towards the end
...no matter what, he will catch his man. Can Frank continue to hide himself away from justice? Although this is not a film I would usually be interested in watching, the casting of Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role persuaded me that it might be worth a look. DiCaprio is, I think, a very talented actor, as his early roles in Gilbert Grape and Romeo and Juliet have proved. As Frank Abagnale, he gives a really excellent performance and one that I found ... ...has to be a young teenager one moment and a polished man of means the next. I would have preferred to have more of an insight into his behaviour though - although he gives a convincing performance, there isn't really an explanation of why he behaves the way he does. We do know that his parents have been through a difficult divorce, but this isn't really enough. However, this is more a fault of the screenwriter than DiCaprio.
Tom Hanks plays Carl ...
sunmeilan 27.03.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Catch Me If You Can (DVD)
Advantages: Acting, Script, Story Disadvantages: Not to everyones taste
the background story Catch Me If You Can was released in 2002 and is based around the life of the infamous con-man Frank Abagnale Jnr (Di Caprio) who's real life game of cat and mouse with FBI agent Carl Hanratty (played by Tom Hanks) during the 1960's was almost talk of the US. Abagnale made a career of 1 thing, fraud, more specifically impersonation and fraud, which included impersonating a pirate a doctor and a lawyer, all the while forging cheques, ... ...Abagnale jnr around trying to catch the fraudster thats making the FBI a laughing stock. Hanks plays the role wonderfully well and shows he can play serious and that Saving Private Ryan wasn't a total fluke on his behalf. The supporting cast includes Martin Sheen and Jennifer Garner as well as the aforementioned Walken, a trio that would be the starring cast in most other movies, is only relegated here due to the magnificent performances of the two ...
iamasadlittleboy 24.02.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Catch Me If You Can (DVD)
Advantages: Christopher Walken and the fact that the Cinema i saw it at were handing out promotional Extra breath mints. Disadvantages: The dubious moral message that stealing millions of dollars is exciting fun that will make you a hero.
...and smirking with self satisfaction. Catch Me If You Can is probably his most challenging film since his Indie days although it’s hardly taxing stuff leaving you feeling that he did it for his career rather than to win acclaim for his talent.
Whilst it’s confusing that Hanks and Leo were given roles totally unsuited to them, the real puzzle is what Spielberg is doing mixed up in all this. The trailer makes it look like a slick ninety minute chase ... ...lively score and Christopher Walken, Catch Me If You Can is all one note with moments of humour that are ultimately wiped out by a plotless plot and rambling narrative. Wait until Walken has made his speech and then leave, that way you might be able to get a refund. Alternatively you could just go home and play the Titanic drinking game. Basically, you start off with beer and bottles of your favourite spirits and everytime an anti English line is ...
willgould 17.02.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Catch Me If You Can (DVD)
Advantages: Great acting, real life story Disadvantages: A bit long
Catch Me If You Can is a drama released back in 2002. Catch Me If You Can is based on the mind-boggling true events of Frank Abagnale Jr during the 1960’s where he cashed false cheques accumulating up to $2.5 million by using a number of different aliases. He also worked as a substitute teacher, a pilot, an attorney and a doctor! He was finally caught in 1969 after evading capture for 5 years and went onto serve a total of 5 years in prison, he should ... ...helping the FBI and banks catch other fraudsters. Catch Me If You Can is rated 12 and runs for approximately 141 minutes. The film did extremely well at the box office, grossing an estimated $352,110,000 on a budget of $52,000,000. The film also did incredibly well with the critics with 96% of them giving this a positive review. Steven Spielberg is the director and producer of this. He’s probably one of the most legendary directors ever and has directed ...
Great_reviewer07 24.04.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Catch Me If You Can (DVD)
...to remind me that time is precious and two plus hours is too much to waste on dross like this.
Catch it when it’s on TV if you must, but sit in a hard chair or you’ll be off to the land of nod after the first twenty minutes. ...
sandrabarber 06.11.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Catch Me If You Can (DVD)
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Advantages: an interesting man Disadvantages: those 80's clothes
incompetent its sometimes difficult to believe that some of the things actually happened e.g. the banks were just had open counters
The riot scenes at the beginning held the same sort of realism as city of god & the 2nd half reminded me of chopper or catchmeifyoucan.
The version of the DVD I saw didn't have an extras other than subtitles which I sometimes had to put on as the south African accent was very strong in parts and difficult to understand. I would have liked to have seen some real live footage or interviews with any survivors involved at the time but unfortunately there were none despite the writers speaking to Allen Hayle(one of the accomplices), one of the prison warders & his police partner who originally catches him. Hopefully a special edition will become available in the future.
released in 2003, running at 107 minutes ...
earlofaldgate 28.04.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Stander
Based on the true story of Frank W Abagnale Jr, a gifted master of deception. Frank was able to use many guises including an airline pilot, a doctor and a lawyer in order to deceive people and hot on his heels was a FBI agent who was determined to bring him to justice...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
DREAMWORKS HOME ENTERTAINMENT; PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT, DREAMWORKS HOME ENTERTAINMENT; UNIVERSAL MUSIC OPERATIONS
French, German, Bulgarian, Arabic, Arabic, Bulgarian, French, German
Hearing Impaired Language
English
Technical information
Sound
DTS Surround 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS Surround 5.1
Aspect Ratio
1.85 Wide Screen
Dubbing Sound
DTS Surround 5.1 English Dolby Digital 5.1 English French German, DTS 5.1 English Dolby Digital 5.1 English French German, Dolby Digital 5.1 English French German DTS Surround 5.1 English
Special Features
Catch Me If You Can Behind The Camera, Cast Me If You Can The Casting Of The Film, Scoring Catch Me If You Can, Frank Abagnale Between Reality And Fiction, The FBI Perspective, Catch Me If You Can In Closing, Photo Gallery
Professional reviews
Review
"...It's a stunning pairing. DiCaprio transforms on screen....Hanks, meanwhile, is endearing....A richly detailed film with a fully developed supporting cast..." (Box Office, p.59, 01/03/2003)
"...[DiCaprio] has just the right touch of baby-cheeked deadpan innocence to make you believe in the schemes of this eager boy grifter..." (Entertainment Weekly, p.46, 03/01/2003)
"...In its detail and sweep, the production is immaculate...the fluidity of the filmmaking serves as another reminder that there isn't a more technically skillful director working in American movies..." (Los Angeles Times, p.C1, 25/12/2002)
"...[A] supremely entertaining portrait of a virtuoso impostor....Mr. DiCaprio's portrayal of this brilliant fraud is, in a word, sensational..." (New York Times, p.E1, 25/12/2002)
"...CATCH encompasses a summation, a statement, and a bit of self-send-up, all in the detectable disguise of a light entertainment..." (Premiere, p.16-18, 01/02/2003)
"...[With] wonderfully inventive cinematography....The film is visually arresting....DiCaprio excels as the epicene, chameleon-like young pretender who effortlessly takes on new guises..." (Sight and Sound, p.40, 01/02/2003)
DVD Description
Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Frank W. Abagnale's autobiography CATCH ME IF YOU CAN follows the cat-and-mouse chase of Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio) and FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) as Abagnale travels the world passing forged checks and assuming false identities. Covering the time period from 1963-69, the film leaps from the suburbs of New York to Georgia, Louisiana, Miami, France, and the skies of Pan American airlines with Abagnale, who passes himself off as a pilot, doctor, lawyer, and socialite while constantly frustrating Hanratty's attempts to nab the increasingly cunning forger. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN finds Spielberg drawing on the father-son relationship that develops between Abagnale and Hanratty, filling a void left in the lives of each man: Abagnale's strained relationship with his tax-cheat father (Christopher Walken) and Hanratty's never-seen family left behind in the wake of a divorce. As Hanratty pursues Abagnale, their mutual admiration and respect grows, and finally they even come to rely on each other.
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