Infamous con artist Frank William Abagnale has duped people worth millions of dollars with his masterful art of deception. With his scams getting bolder, he is soon pursued by FBI agent Carl Hanratty.
Watch the Trailer
A very well known line “If you’re good at something never do it for free” said by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight has won millions of hearts in terms of being financially strong. People in businesses, sales, marketing, management often repeat these lines to the colleagues when questioned about money or job. And in fact that’s true, But what if there’s a guy who is excellent at something, does the job for himself and gets paid in different forms out of nowhere? Sounds pretty strange isn’t it.
Steven Spielberg‘s film Catch Me If You Can (2002) starring all time super star Leonardo DiCaprio and renowned filmmaker Tom Hanks highlights the true story of an author and convicted felon Frank William Abagnale. A legend who during his teens and early twenties, was arrested multiple times and was convicted and imprisoned in the United States and Europe.
At some point the trailer itself explains what Frank was capable of. He taught an entire class for a week pretending to a substitute teacher, practiced medicine without attending medical school, practiced law without any qualification in law and passed as a pilot without attending flight school–all for the excellent reason that he did all of these things before he was 19, and had not even graduated from high school. As a matter of fact Abagnale forged a Harvard Law School transcript, passed the bar exam of Louisiana and got a job at the Louisiana Attorney General’s office at the age of nineteen. And indeed one of the best things he did was the art of forging checks and making millions, or according to the calculations by the FBI, billions.
The way Dicaprio portrays Frank Abagnale in the movie, one thing can be understood that his confidence game was high above the graph. The strategic planning abilities, communication skills, the confidence in manipulating situations in a matter of seconds, cracking interviews as a law graduate or a medical practitioner, all these things are just his techniques used out of the box.
But like every other story that involves an emotional side, Frank also lives as a lonely teenager who admires his father being raised among loving parents but not for long after they divorce and he has to choose his path unwillingly. Even though he overwhelmed pretty women with his wealth and accomplishments, and was, a lot of the time, basically a sad and lonely teenager. At the time the only honest relationships in his life were with his father and with the FBI agent who was chasing him.
And indeed Tom Hanks represented as Carl Hanratty is just perfect in terms of mixing up humor and seriousness, an FBI agent whose mission in life evolves into capturing Abagnale. As the only person who really has a broad overview of the scope and adapting of Abagnale’s activities, Hanratty develops a respect for a natural criminal talent through the time.
The story is just up to par, directly told, and such meaning as it has comes from the irony that the only person who completely appreciates Abagnale’s accomplishments is the man trying to arrest him. At one point, when the young man calls the FBI agent, Hanratty cuts straight to the point by observing, “You didn’t have anyone else to call.”
And after all Abagnale definitely befriends with Hanratty only to bring out good from the unlawful talent and skills.