Catch Me If You Can (2002): Film Notes and Scores

Director:

Cast:

Poster artwork for Catch Me If You Can — Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

A gifted young impostor assumes a series of professional identities while an FBI agent pursues him.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Teenager Frank Abagnale Jr. runs away after his parents' marriage collapses and begins forging checks while posing as an airline pilot, doctor, and lawyer. FBI agent Carl Hanratty recognizes the pattern and pursues him across jurisdictions and holidays.

Why it belongs

Through period design, animated titles, Williams's jazz, and the lonely rapport between DiCaprio and Hanks, Catch Me If You Can shapes fraud as buoyant melancholy.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Checks, uniforms, hotel rooms, airports, television, Christmas phone calls, and John Williams's nimble score make identity a portable performance—Leonardo DiCaprio's speed and Tom Hanks's persistence incrementally reveal mutual isolation.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20

BAFTA1 win2003 · official BAFTA 2003 Film Awards results ↗

Supporting Actor2003 · Christopher Walkenofficial BAFTA 2003 Film Awards results ↗

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for

Date Night

Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250172AFI 100—

Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness8.2

Engagement8.6

Ease8.5

English · PG-13
Narrative Feature
Mood: Tense & Absorbing

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