Catch Me If You Can (2002)

“Catch Me If You Can” is an engaging, fast-paced and extremely entertaining film; its blend of visually stunning cinematography and a fantastic presentation of the 1960s make this one of the most enjoyable movies in Steven Spielberg’s filmography.

The cast in “Catch Me If You Can” is outstanding; each actor perfectly plays their character, capturing the relationships that drive the film. Leonardo DiCaprio is the stand-out of the movie; he is so likeable as Frank Abagnale. It’s unbelievable that DiCaprio was in his late twenties whilst filming took place but still seems to be a 17 year old. He manages to balance the thrills that Abagnale is experiencing during his exploits but also the trauma and confusion of his parents’ divorce.

The visuals of “Catch Me If You Can” are amazing, from the lavish costumes to the sets and cars, the film is, to put it simply, really nice to look at. I noticed that all of the roads in the film are wet, even though the film is mostly set in sunny locations. This adds an unusual shimmer to each scene and creates a unique look for the movie.

One of my favourite sequences in the entire movie is the title sequence. The brilliant score and fantastic animation strongly reminds me of the title sequence in “The Adventures of Tintin” (which is a great and very underrated Spielberg film.)

“Catch Me If You Can” has a perfect blend of emotions, it will make you laugh, grip your seat and feel awe at the ingeniousness of the plot.

The script is so clever without ever feeling confusing or pretentious.

It is surprising how hilarious the film can be, one joke in particular (it has a very naughty word in it so I obviously can’t repeat it) makes me laugh every time.

Steven Spielberg once again demonstrates that he is a master of suspense and can construct the perfect emotional roller-coaster; he brings so much magic to every scene and transitions the enjoyable and more tender ones with apparent ease. Every single millisecond of this film is just so perfectly paced; no narrow escape, exciting swindle or intimate character interaction ever drags or feels dull.

“Catch Me If You Can” is placed in a very interesting place in Spielberg’s career. After directing “Saving Private Ryan”, “A.I” (which I dislike) and “Minority Report” (which is incredible), “Catch Me If You Can” feels like a throw-back to Spielberg’s earlier films, very different to his darker more mature recent ones.

In my opinion, “Catch Me If You Can” is a perfect film. It has an enthralling plot, interesting and relatable characters and all the thrilling and emotional moments that you could want out of a film such as this. If you’re a fan of adventures, thrillers or great films in general you must watch “Catch Me If You Can!”