Hey folks, Harry here with another one of the films that fate decided I couldn't see early... Spielberg's CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, which I'll be seeing Christmas Eve. I've heard that this film is an absolute delight, Moriarty believes it's "the beard's" best film since EMPIRE OF THE SUN, which would be nice if true. That means at the very least it'll have a super solid ending, which all the films since EMPIRE OF THE SUN have had a bit botched. Here's Quint with his look at Leo's other Holiday film...
Ahoy squirts! Quint, the one and only crusty seaman, here with my opinion on the new Steven Spielberg flick CATCH ME IF YOU CAN starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks and Christopher Walken.
I stumbled upon the original source material for this film, Frank Abagnale Jr. and Stan Redding's autobiographical novel of the same name, earlier this summer while perusing a Goodwill in search of collectibles and dove into it immediately. It was a quick read, amazingly entertaining and full of the most thrilling real life adventures one could hope for. In the novel I could live vicariously through Mr. Abagnale as he took on the world headfirst and damn near conquered it. To have the balls to walk onto an airplane in a pilot's uniform at the age of 17 and "deadhead" (fly for free in a courtesy seat in the cockpit reserved for other airline's pilots) all over the world... To have the smarts to fool your way into becoming a doctor or a lawyer... Astonishing.
Needless to say, I was smitten with the book and excited to see what Steven Spielberg could make out of it. Surprisingly enough the film never really screams out MADE BY STEVEN SPIELBERG and that saves it from being distracted by any huge sentimentality and allows us to concentrate on the story. Though you never get the feeling that this is A STEVEN SPIELBERG film, there's no doubt it was made by a filmmaker who knows his shit, someone who knows how to pull the best performances out of the actors involved, someone who knows what to focus on in a particular scene, someone who can balance the drama, the thrill and the comedy just right to make a great little movie. This film could have been made by Robert Altman (ie:SHORT CUTS), Frank Darabont (ie: SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION), Peter Jackson (ie: HEAVENLY CREATURES), Milos Forman (ie: damn near every movie he's ever done), etc.
Regardless of what you may think of the man's more recent films there is never a doubt that Spielberg's one of the few filmmakers out there who knows how films work and how to get the most out of every scene. Spielberg understands film about as well as any person can and that comes through in CATCH ME IF YOU CAN.
I make no secret about my love of Spielberg's films. For god sakes I took the pseudonym "Quint" from JAWS, which is my all time favorite movie. As a child of the '80s I grew up with his flicks. The man was more of a steady father figure in my young life than my actual father. Spielberg's presence was always there when I watched movies or TV. RAIDERS, TEMPLE OF DOOM, LAST CRUSADE, JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, GOONIES, INNERSPACE, ET, BACK TO THE FUTURE, JURASSIC PARK, GREMLINS, POLTERGEIST, AMAZING STORIES, TINY TOONS... He was a constant in my life.
The Spielberg of today carries a little less magic, though truth be told he hasn't made a movie that I haven't at least liked. I liked 1941. I liked AMISTAD. I liked AI. I even liked fucking HOOK, though I see it as an amazing misfire, a film that could have been a timeless classic, but for some reason didn't pull it out.
So, I carry hope that Spielberg will once again tap into the person he was in the '80s and give me some more flicks along the lines of RAIDERS and JAWS. In the meantime we have him giving us fun movies like MINORITY REPORT, serious films like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and the lighter films that lay somewhere in-between like CATCH ME IF YOU CAN.
If you don't know, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is based on the real life exploits of Frank Abagnale Jr. who, as a kid under 20 years old, took the nation's banks for over $4 million dollars by perfecting check fraud, impersonated airline pilots, lawyers and doctors to fit his needs... All stemming from a nasty breaking of his family due to divorce... WAIT! I know that sounds like typical Spielberg social commentary, but I assure you as it's playing out there's no feeling of manipulation.
Leonardo DiCaprio is perfect for this type of role. He can look both 29 and 13 with just a change of outfit, his hair combed in a different way and a bit of an expression change. Despite what the post TITANIC backlash says, he is a good actor. Why else would people like Spielberg and Scorsese hire him to carry a huge film? His boyish charm? DiCaprio plays this role with great relish. There's a glee in his eye the whole time, a confidence that can't be faked. He's come a long way since CRITTERS 3. hehe
Yay for Christopher Walken! Walken is hands down one of my all time favorites to watch onscreen and he's fantastic in this film as Frank Abagnale Sr., a hustler in his own right, but not as talented as his son turned out to be. Walken is a pro of this industry no matter how many JOE DIRT and COUNTRY BEARS movies he does.
Tom Hanks is, as usual, great as Carl Hanratty, the Federal Agent chasing Abagnale's paper trail all over the world. The two bond in ways you wouldn't imagine possible. This is a cat and mouse movie and the idea of the cat and mouse needing each other to give their lives a purpose is a great angle. Hanks' chemistry with DiCaprio is very real and is essential to the success of this story's translation onto film. And Hanratty's joke he tells in the film is classic. Knock-knock...
Jennifer Garner has a small role that pays off in one of the film's best comic moments. Garner has star power, no question about it. Beauty, talent... plus the camera just eats her up. Can't wait to see her turn as Electra in DAREDEVIL.
All the actors involved in this film are top notch. From Martin Sheen to Amy Adams to Frank John Hughes... All perfectly cast.
John Williams goes back to his roots to come up with the score for CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, which is very Jazz oriented. It's not Williams' best score, not one you can hum and whistle as you're leaving the theatre, but it perfectly fits the film. It also perfectly fits the kickass opening credits animation.
My only beef with the movie is something very minor that I don't expect many other people to share. There is a bit of a spoiler in this bit of the review, so if you don't want to know, don't read. The film starts out with DiCaprio in a French shithole prison. The way it was described in the book was hell on earth. Abagnale literally didn't leave a 5 foot by 5 foot by 5 foot cell for a year. He had no toilet, just one bucket that quickly filled up and overflowed. He literally had to sleep and live in his own urine and shit. He was deathly ill.
This scenario hits so unexpectedly in the book... He's cheating the system, living the high life, conning his way into and out of things with amazing timing and ease... Then BAM! He's not only caught, but he's thrown into hell. The film opens up with this and tells the rest of the story in flashback... It takes the impact of the capture away... I don't know. I guess I just wanted Spielberg to do it straight and not feel the need to cut back and forth between the story and Hanks and DiCaprio talking about it.
I know why he did it. He wanted to make this much more of a story between Cat and Mouse, Hanks and DiCaprio. He changed quite a few things from the book to include Hanratty more, which I have no problem with... But I would have preferred that hellhole coming out of left field and kicking out asses while filling us with sympathy for Abagnale at the same time.
That's one minor little nitpick from an overall great film. I would highly recommend this film to anybody. This is one of those rare films that can be enjoyed by every age group. Take the parents to see it. Hell, take the Grandparents. You won't be disappointed.
It's time for me to shove off, squirts. I have a bundle of salty goodness to unfurl on you folks in the next few days, so keep yer eye on the horizon, squirts! I shall return! 'Til that day, this is Quint bidding you a fond farewell and adieu.
-Quint
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