Some things in life are inevitable. Gravity, the sunrise, putting in a USB the wrong way around. Well, you can add something else to that list - Steven Spielberg and an all-star cast making a winning movie - because this film freshly added to Amazon Prime Video, is exactly that.
Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 film with the tagline "The true story of a real fake" and that should tell you exactly what to expect. This is the (disputed) true tale of conman Frank Abagnale Jr. Played by Leonardo DiCaprio, if you thought his character in Wolf of Wall Street was slippery, you haven't seen anything yet.
The son of a trickster himself, teenage Frank escapes his broken family home to live not a double, but a triple life that would make even Tom Ripley's head spin. We all struggle with imposter syndrome at times, but not Frank. He poses as a pilot (embezzling money off the payroll) a doctor and a lawyer, blagging his way through with charm and cheekiness. Soon he has lied his way to over a million dollars.
On his case is FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) who is always a step behind, but as persistent as they come. He and Frank should be heated adversaries but they have an unusual relationship. There's a begrudging respect and as one late-night call to his rival makes clear, a loneliness from Frank's lifestyle that gives them a bond. Carl is one of the only people who knows the real Frank, not one of his assumed personas.
There are some tense moments, but also real laughs in this picture. Trying to catch a plane to escape the country, of course, Frank decides to mask himself with a squad of newly recruited air stewardesses - because what else would a teenage boy do?
Looking back on this film 20 years later is almost a who's who of Hollywood. Amy Adams, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen and Josh Brolin all have significant roles while Elizabeth Banks and Jennifer Garner are just a few of the now famous faces who pop up in brief appearances.
Prime Video has been on a roll recently with some big-name additions including a superb Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling musical and Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird.
