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Catch Me If You Can

In "Catch Me If You Can," director Steven Speilberg indulges in a more lightweight style of filmmaking while at the same time keeping things aimed at a more serious objective. In tackling the life story of con artist Frank Abagnale, Jr., who at the age of 18 had become infamous for check fraud escalating into the millions, Speilberg not only captures in vivid detail the time and place, but also the mindset and psychological instability of this most fascinating character. ***

The film follows Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) from the start of his troubles, brought about by the divorce of his parents: his father, Frank Sr. (Christopher Walken), who has his own problems with the Internal Revenue Service, and his French mother Paula (Nathalie Baye), who eventually leaves them both for one of her husband's business partners. It is a moment that will remain with Frank Jr. all throughout his exploits, as he begins masquerading as an airline pilot, a Harvard-educated doctor, and a Berkeley-schooled lawyer, all the while being chased without pause by FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), who will not stop until he has brought Abagnale to justice. ***

Such is the rather standard plot for a movie that has much more to offer than exceptional production design and cat-and-mouse games. It's the character development that really keeps the series of events alive and kicking: Speilberg brings us into the minds of these two men in such a way that the movie eventually won me over despite a somewhat draggy beginning and midsection. Beneath the bravado of Frank's various aliases, there is the emptiness of a lost childhood that fuels his drive for attention-grabbing antics. He's no different than an average tot throwing a fit in a toy store over a specific want; he just happens to channel his emotions in a not-so-slightly innocent manner. Throughout the film he attempts to relive the fantasy of proving to his mother that she made a mistake in leaving her family; his father, on the other hand, lives vicariously through his son, watching him as he eludes the authorities, perhaps wishing that he himself had been as successful. ***

The connections between Frank and Carl, while not initially apparent, soon become the life force of the movie. Whereas Frank sees Carl as the enemy, Carl obviously sees his chance at redemption in his latest case, a chance to make up for the wife and daughter who left him many years before. Hanks and DiCaprio, who both possess a wonderful cop/robber chemistry onscreen, each have a unique charm that keeps the material fresh and witty in even the most lengthy moments, which eventually fade from memory once we realize what the underlying moral is. Getting into the story through earlier moments may seen wan, but this is one of those rare treats that gets better as it progresses. All things considered, "Catch Me If You Can" isn't one of Speilberg's most memorable projects, but he crafts the proceedings with every ounce of attention to things like character and heart, something that his best films are never without.

A solid transfer from DreamWorks for a snazzy little film that made it big. "Catch Me If You Can's" 1.85:1 anamorphic image looks terrific on the format, awash with terrific color saturation and fidelity that is striking throughout, especially fleshtones. The stylistic influences play a part here, so some scenes may appear washed out or oversaturated, but it's for the best. Contrast and shadow detail are top-drawer and stay that way for the film's entire, while blacks are solid as a brick. Edges are sharp and clarity is pristine, while enhancement and compression artifacts remain at a slight minimum. The source print, being that this is a modern movie, is in excellent shape, thus no film noise or distractions outside of some intended grain. Groovy! ***

The sound is available in both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 tracks, and both are marked by an impressive recording of the John Williams score, which projects nicely from the front end into the rear channels. Some atmospheric effects come into play here and there, while dialogue, always natural, dominates much of the proceedings and finds a nice balance with the other elements of the track. DTS, while almost always the better way to go, isn't too different from the Dolby option, so if you don't have the capability of the former, the latter will work just as well.

With the absence of things like innovative special effects and specific genre origins and formulas to discuss, "Catch Me If You Can" doesn't really have much to go on when it comes to breaking itself down. Luckily, however, this two-disc DVD, while not the most comprehensive of Speilberg's home video releases, does manage to shed some light on the more interesting aspects of the movie while paying special attention to the inspiration that started it all: Frank Abagnale himself. ***

The supplements are all located on the second disc, beginning with "Behind the Camera," which is more or less an introductory look at the production that leads into the more specific pieces to come. We have a variety of interviews with many of the main principles including Speilberg, Abagnale, and other members of the cast and crew, as they relate the story of bringing the oft-bounced script to the big screen. Speilberg comments rather jovially about his selfishness in choosing the project as a means of escaping from the darker aspects of his previous movie, "Minority Report," while writer Jeff Nathanson regails his experience writing the script, and his inspirations during that time. ***

Then we move on to "Cast Me If You Can," divided into five different parts featuring interviews with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken and Nathalie Baye, Martin Sheen and Amy Adams, and Jennifer Garner, whose shoot took all of an entire day in between her "Alias" filming schedule. The more interesting comments come from DiCaprio and Hanks, of course, as their characters are the ones we spend the most time with, but everyone has something interesting to say, especially when it comes to the segment on the roles of the parents. This is followed by "Scoring Catch Me If You Can," which is pretty much cut-and-paste in terms of what to expect from the interviews with John Williams, who seems genuinely shocked in earlier moments that this is his twentieth collaboration with Speilberg in a period of thirty years. ***

Following this is the more reality-based material, kicking off with "Frank Abagnale: Between Reality and Fiction." Again further divided into separate pieces, we hear from Abagnale about the course of events in his life, from his early childhood to his exploits in various careers, and his eventual capture and life reversal. Comparisons are made between reality and the film, and throughout it all, Abagnale remains as intriguing in real life as the character in the movie. Then we have "The FBI Perspective," which features an interview with the veteran FBI agent who acted as a consultant to the production. Not quite as interesting as the other material, but a nice addition nonetheless. ***

The disc closes out with "Catch Me If You Can In Closing," which acts in correlation with the first featurette as a bookend to close out the disc's more weighty supplements, more interviews and behind-the-scenes footage in tow. We also have some production notes divided into two parts, an extensive photo gallery with loads of categorized pictures, and some cast and crew information.