Catch Me If You Can

"The true story of a real fake."

2002 2h 21m EN

🙌

8.0

BANGER

🔥

96%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

8.1

IMDB

★8.0TMDB · 17,683🍅96%Rotten Tomatoes●75Metacritic★8.1IMDB · 1,233,450

DramaCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr. who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor. An FBI agent makes it his mission to put him behind bars. But Frank not only eludes capture, he revels in the pursuit.

“The true story of a real fake.”

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Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio
Frank Abagnale Jr.
Tom Hanks
Carl Hanratty
Christopher Walken
Frank Abagnale
Martin Sheen
Roger Strong
Nathalie Baye
Paula Abagnale
Amy Adams
Brenda Strong
James Brolin
Jack Barnes
Brian Howe
Earl Amdursky

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Jeff Nathanson
Languages: English, French
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $52M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

269+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Steven Spielberg, shot by Janusz Kamiński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michael Kahn shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Steven Spielberg directs. Janusz Kamiński behind the camera. John Williams scores. Michael Kahn cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $52M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Made its money back 6.8× over at the box office.
3Released 24 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
5269+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Steven Spielberg, shot by Janusz Kamiński. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by John Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Michael Kahn shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks and Christopher Walken carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "The true story of a real fake.".
11IMDB entry: tt0264464 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
1217,683 TMDB user ratings logged — serious cultural footprint.
13Classified under 14 themes, including "fbi", "con man", "biography", "based on true story".
14Released under 49 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Janusz Kamiński
Original score: John Williams
Editing: Michael Kahn
Production design: Jeannine Oppewall
Costume design: Mary Zophres
Makeup / hair: Kathryn Blondell
VFX supervisor: Marc Varisco
Sound: Andy Nelson
Stunt coordinator: Webster Whinery
Runtime: 141 min · 2h 21m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $52,000,000
Box office: $352,114,312
Return: 677% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 75/100
IMDB rating: 8.1/10 · 1,233,450 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 16 wins & 46 nominations total

Also by

Steven Spielberg

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

TopKek2016-10-14
This was an entertaining and fun piece of film making from the ever-reliable Steven Spielberg. It is a bit of a depart from his usual full-blown and hugely epic pictures, yet this does not detract at all from the fascinating story of Frank Abagnale Jr. I was interested in this man before I'd seen the movie, and it only served to increase my interest. Although it is important to remember (as with any such film) that this is only 'inspired' by a true story and not told word for word from one, the plot is fascinating and keeps you laughing, crying and wondering until the end. Frank Abagnale Jr. is an astounding and interesting character. The real life Abagnale originally said that he did not believe DiCaprio to be 'suave' enough to play the role, but he certainly does pull it off. DiCaprio's acting is superb, and totally believable as a man who could lie to, deceive, and con everyone he met without once losing any of his charisma or charm. Hanks is also excellent, he plays the role of the obsessed FBI agent well, and also with a likable quality. The interaction between these two characters was great, it was interesting to see a budding relationship slowly build between two characters who were actually positioned against one another. I loved the look of the film. It was a refreshing blast to see the 60s portrayed in such a vivid and colorful way. The whole setting and atmosphere of the film gave it a wonderful and almost (I hesitate to use the word) 'magical' sense. This tone appealed to me much more than a darker tone might have. However, the film is rife with moral ambiguity. As much fun as it is to watch DiCaprio jumping from one place (and identity) to the next, forging checks and spending inordinate amounts of money at a whim, the film never really focuses on the morally bankrupt side of the story. The portion of the film devoted to this at the end still seems to skim over the fact that this man has stolen millions of dollars. It ends on a high note for Frank Abagnale Jr., never fully spelling out the wrongs he committed. Still, this would probably bring the whole film down, and sometimes it's fun just to enjoy a bit of escapism without being told off for desiring such things. I mean, it's hard to be totally strict and upright - you have to love it when DiCaprio's character swindles Jennifer Garner's prostitute for $400! Overall, this is a fun film and really enjoyable. Not as much of an epic masterpiece as some of Spielberg's other movies, but still a great film!
The Movie Mob2022-09-17
★ 7/10
Catch Me If You Can is an entertaining and amusing film full of Spielberg, Hanks, and DiCaprio charm. With Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio as leads and Steven Spielberg directing, I don't think it's possible not to enjoy this movie. Everyone loves Hanks and young Leo. Every Spielberg film drips with nostalgia and enthusiasm. Catch Me If You Can is precisely what you would expect from this talented crew. A clever, witty film with growing respect between a con artist and the FBI agent trailing him. Spielberg crafts an excellent, satisfying, and entertaining movie based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr. and Carl Hanratty.
r96sk2023-02-15
★ 9/10
Just as great as expected. I'm not quite sure how I've never got around to watching this, for two reasons: Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. Literally two of my favourite actors. Well, at least I have now and I can only add to the general vibe around <em>'Catch Me If You Can'</em>. It's very good! DiCaprio and Hanks are terrific throughout, the former narrowly outshines the latter but the film is very much greater for having them both onboard. Neat to see the likes of Christopher Walken and Amy Adams behind 'em, too. It's as well cast, and as well made, as you'd anticipate from a Steven Spielberg flick. I potentially would've shaved a little bit off the run time, though that's very much a minor, minor 'but' of mine. All things considered, it's entertaining to watch, has some solid amusement and is told in a interesting manner. I'd happily revisit it, certainly. A quick look at the real life Frank Abagnale's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_Me_If_You_Can#Cast">Wikipedia</a> seems to suggest an equally as intriguing story, with many claims of his potentially being debunked in the years since... yet that, given what has followed them, would simply make him even more of a noteworthy con man!