Life flows unabated in spite of the pits and falls. And, a deluge of disappointments. There’s a mad rush to reach somewhere. To be somebody. To be…. like Somebody. And maybe find love and companionship on the way. It often happens that when we are in a Catch 22 situation, we feel like putting up a brave front and smirk aloud: Catch Me If You Can!!!
Well, Catch Me If You Can is a movie by Steven ‘Mercurial’ Speilberg based on a true story in the USA of 1960’s. And trust me, it lives up to its name. Absolutely! Frank Abagnale Jr. is a normal 15 year old who has his father as a hero. Quite simple. It happens all the time. Isn’t it! But, the father in this case wasn’t a good role model at all. The kid is infinitely impressed with the hollow charm of his father. After all, he gets the job done. And one doesn’t have to sweat too much for it either.
Frank starts impersonating people. For fun initially. Then desperation forces him to forge cheques. And then it becomes a habit. He becomes a serious offender with the FBI on his trail all the time. An FBI agent Hardratty comes quite close to nailing him, yet not quite. Frank enjoyed his delinquency and abhorred his loneliness. True love eluded him. And one-night-stands thronged him. With no real satiation!
A pilot, a doctor, a lawyer. He was all this. And none. For he was merely 18. Always on the run. From one state to the other. And finally jumping between countries. The police of multiple countries were after him. He didn’t run away from them. For they were far too dumb to catch a genius like him. But then, he realized, all this while he was running away from himself.
The movie ends on a positive and believable note and you’ll have to watch the movie to find that out. And since it’s a true story, the feeling is heartening as well. I am not supporting the crimes committed by Frank. For a few of them were big ones. But the mere fact that he was never really stopped from doing wrong things in his childhood was a disgrace. Instead his father made him a party to his own delinquent deeds. His mother brought men to their home and bribed him into silence on being caught unawares. And finally they got divorced.
I am sure watching an entertaining movie like Catch Me If You Can on a Sunday may trigger a zillion value judgements. Allow me to indulge into a few of my own. Well, it is a known fact that many of the criminals have had a very difficult childhood. Michael Jackson isn’t a criminal, but his ‘unhappy’ childhood has unfolded a unique phenomenon of the child in him craving for attention in a disgusting manner. Let’s not digress too much. Another fact is that many of the geniuses and great men have also had a torrid childhood.
Now, one can look at it from the verse of Robert Frost: There were two roads and I preferred the one less traveled. Now that untrodden path may lead you to a prison cell, a life filled with unhappiness, regrets and complaints. Or maybe, turn you into a great artiste, scientist, president of USA or maybe just a great guy. The choice is left to the individual. Isn’t it!
Talking about the movie, well, Speilberg casts an effortless spell from the first frame itself. The disjointed form where the narrative sways between the present and the past reminds me of Quentin Terrentino’s Pulp Fiction. The director has a strict control over the look of the film. For it is the USA of 1960’s. The Marlyn Monroe hairstyles, the long stockings, the suits, the cars etc. Everything is in perfect place. Speilberg is in smashing form.
As for the cast, I must say Leonardo Di Caprio as Frank is Brilliance Personified. His varied look, the wardrobe, the artillery of emotions-n-expressions and body language is spot on. Here’s a actor who’s bound to win a handful of Oscars in his career. Tom Hanks as the officer Hardratty is an able foil. Though, I feel he didn’t really had much for him in the movie. Still, his unmistakable stamp of genius is all intact. The cinematography is exquisite. And the Eastman color feel adds charm to the details of the 60’s era. The movie, in all, excells in every single department.
Catch Me If You Can: You don’t wanna miss this ‘un. Catch it….For it’s bound to catch your imagination!!