Catch Me if You Can

Steven Spielberg's best movie in at least a decade, this capricious, invigorating, infectiously jaunty true-crime caper follows the extraordinary conman career of Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio in one of his finest performances to date), who kited millions of dollars in bogus checks while passing himself off as an airline pilot to Pan Am, as a doctor to a Georgia hospital, and as a lawyer to the D.A. father of an unsuspecting fiancée--all before his 1966 arrest at the age of 20. John Williams' mellifluous, period-styled, progressive jazz score fits perfectly with the cat-and-mouse game played between DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, who is sublime as the humorless, starched-shirt FBI agent frustrated at every turn by this teenage charlatan. Also vivid in its emotional depth, especially in Frank's relationship with his brokenhearted, IRS-persecuted father (Oscar nominee Christopher Walken), Catch Me if You Can is often brilliant, feels timeless, and seems destined to be a classic. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. [Note: DVD extras on this two-disc set (available separately in full screen or widescreen versions) include a 28-minute “Cast Me if You Can” featurette on casting seven characters, a 17-minute “Behind the Camera” behind-the-scenes featurette, a five-minute featurette on the score, four “Frank Abagnale: Between Reality and Fiction” segments on the real-life Abagnale--background (5 min.), pilot scam (4 min.), careers (2 min.), and capture and transformation (4 min.)--the seven-minute featurette “The FBI Perspective,” the four-minute featurette “In Closing” about the accuracy of the film, two archives of production notes, cast and crew bios (with pictures), and photo galleries. Bottom line: An excellent extras package for one of 2002's best films.] (R. Blackwelder)