Friday Film Noir
Catch Me If You Can (2002) is a surprisingly heartfelt crime drama true story directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Jeff Nathanson. The story follows Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), a teenager who runs away from home after a family collapse and reinvents himself through a series of bold, elaborate cons. He poses as a pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer, slipping in and out of identities with charm while staying one step ahead of Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), the FBI agent determined to catch him. As the chase tightens, Frank’s close calls multiply, pulling the investigation into a years-long pursuit. With the schemes growing more complex, the search stretches across the country, each near miss closing the gap between agent and fugitive. I went to school with the son of Frank Abagnale Jr. who, on a high school retreat, spoke about his father being one of the FBI’s most wanted criminals. Coming from a law-enforcement family, I actually assumed he was exaggerating. Then he tol...