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Dom Robinson reviews
Dreamworks Home Entertainment
- Cert:
- Cat.no: 8300066
- Running time: 135 minutes
- Year: 2002
- Pressing: 2003
- Region(s): 2 (UK PAL)
- Chapters: 22 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1 ES (Eng only)
- Languages: English, French, German
- Subtitles: 5 languages available
- Widescreen: 1.85:1
- 16:9-enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: 2 * DVD 9
- Price: £19.99
- Extras: Behind the Camera, The Casting of the Film, Scoring Catch Me If You Can,Frank Abagnale: Between Reality and Fiction, The FBI Perspective,Catch Me If You Can in Closing, Photo Gallery
Director:
- Steven Spielberg
(1941, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Always, Amistad, Catch Me If You Can, Close Encounter of the Third Kind, The Color Purple, Duel, Empire of the Sun, E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, Hook, The Indiana Jones Trilogy,Jaws, Jurassic Park 1 & 2, Minority Report, Poltergeist (uncredited), Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List)
Producers:
- Walter F Parkes and Steven Spielberg
Screenplay:
- Jeff Nathanson (based on the book by Frank Abagnale Jr & Stan Redding)
Original Score :
- John Williams
Cast :
- Frank Abagnale Jr: Leonardo DiCaprio
Carl Hanratty: Tom Hanks
Frank Abagnale Sr: Christopher Walken
Roger Strong: Martin Sheen
Paula Abagnale: Nathalie Baye
Brenda Strong: Amy Adams
Jack Barnes: James Brolin
Earl Amdursky: Brian Howe
Cheryl Ann: Jennifer Garner
‘Cheque’ it out…
Catch Me If You Canis a film based on a true story – and the book written by the man who actionedit all, in which teenager Frank Abagnale Jr (Leonardo DiCaprio) learnedthe tricks of scamming from his father, Frank Sr (Christopher Walken),to the point where he spent the latter part of the 1960s forging chequesand living a lifestyle of a pilot, doctor and lawyer, effectively borrowingother people’s lives as he watches the behaviour of others – the sameprofessions being done on TV – and affects a number of pseudonyms.
In the other corner is FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), who knowshe’s out there but keeps evading his grasp whenever he gets close. This is aninoffensive film but just doesn’t feel particularly involving. It plays outexactly the way I expected it to and offers no surprises other than throwingin a seemingly redundant sub-plot about Abagnale’s parents’ divorce. Ok, soit’s a story based on real events but that doesn’t make them particularlyengaging.
There’s brief appearances from Hollywood long-timers like Walken, MartinSheen and James Brolin, plus Alias and Daredevil cutieJennifer Garner, but there’s nothing to stretch them either. In fact,despite the authentic feel of the movie, there’s nothing to make me recommendthis to anyone.
…someone’s living the high life.
Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, early on the prospects for theimage don’t look too good as the picture flickers a bit but later it settlesdown and becomes perfectly watchable without any further defects.
The sound is in Dolby Digital 5.1 for English, French and German, plus aDTS option in English. I always take the latter, but while there’s no problemshere, it’s a drama which doesn’t make much use of the speakers. I also foundthe endless theme tune quite irritating, especially since it’s used throughoutthe menus and extras.
- Behind the camera (17 mins):Presented in non-anamorphic 16:9, a brief look at how the film was put togetherwith comments from various cast and crew members. One of those featurettesthat, like the film, holds no surprises.
- Cast Me If You Can (28 mins):Hanks, DiCaprio, Walken and others talk about how they were cast for the film.
- Scoring “Catch Me If You Can” (5 mins):Composer John Williams gives his input on the 20th film he’s done withSpielberg.
- Frank Abagnale: Between Reality and Fiction (15 mins):A featurette about the man himself and what he got up to.
- The FBI Perspective (7 mins):A featurette about how those playing FBI agents should behave in the film.
- Catch Me If You Can in Closing (5 mins):A few more extra minutes of more of the same.
- Photo Galleries:Split into three sections – cast, behind the scenes and set design.
Some people may like this film, and if so they’ll find something of worthwithin the extras, but if you felt the movie was lacking, these pedestriansupplements won’t change your view.
Subtitles for the film come in five languages: English (and hard of hearing),French, German, Bulgarian and Arabic, there are 22 chapters to the filmand the menus feature music from the film to fit in with the theme.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
OVERALL
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.