There are many contenders for the perfect Steven Spielberg film, however “Catch Me If You Can” has at all times been my favourite. Perhaps it is due to the stunning John Williams rating, which was so memorable “The Simpsons” needed to pause a daily episode to do an prolonged riff on it. Then once more, possibly it is as a result of I simply love any story a few man who can work his method by means of an not possible state of affairs by means of sheer confidence and charisma. The film additionally felt like an ideal match for Spielberg, as Frank Abagnale’s life story mirrored components of his personal. As Spielberg defined in a 2003 interview with Blackfilm.com:
“A few of this image is vital to me as a result of it offers with what Frank and I each share, which is damaged houses. I ran away from dwelling when my mother and father bought divorced; on the identical age Frank ran away when his mother and father bought divorced, so I had that in frequent with him. That is why I needed to emphasise within the image to at all times remind those who he was doing this for a purpose — not simply because he might. He was doing this as a result of he was maybe attempting to get his mother and pa again collectively once more.”
Regardless of that connection, Spielberg virtually did not direct the film in any respect. The man was very busy within the early 2000s, with “Minority Report” releasing simply six months earlier than “Catch Me If You Can” and “A.I. Synthetic Intelligence” popping out solely a 12 months earlier than that. Certainly, the film got here decidedly near going to a different revered director who had barely much less on their docket on the time, like Gore Verbinski (then on the verge of helming 2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”) or David Fincher (who’d go on to do 2002’s “Panic Room” as an alternative).
Actually, if it wasn’t for a few key occasions that occurred in 2000, there’s an opportunity that “Catch Me if You Can” would’ve not solely been a Verbinski movie, however it will’ve additionally starred James Gandolfini (sure, of “The Sopranos” fame) as FBI agent Carl Hanratty moderately than Tom Hanks. These plans fell aside as a result of the movie that DiCaprio was engaged on in 2000, “Gangs of New York,” was operating not on time. This usually would not be that huge of a deal, besides that there was an obvious actors’ and writers’ strike on the horizon, and Verbinski needed to movie “Catch Me If You Can” earlier than that occurred. As Selection reported on the time:
“Insiders say that suspending ‘Catch Me’ might get rid of ‘Catch’s’ helmer, Gore Verbinski (‘Mouse Hunt’), who is keen to make an image earlier than the strikes. Lingering longer for Leo would additionally nix the supply of a number of different actors with whom the studio has been in talks, reminiscent of ‘Sopranos’ star James Gandolfini, who can solely shoot on hiatus.”
What would Gore Verbinski’s Catch Me If You Can have appeared like?
In the end, the massive factor that pushed Spielberg to decide to directing “Catch Me If You Can” was the realization he had whereas studying a very spectacular sequence from the true Frank Abagnale Jr.’s fascinatingly true (and never so true) model of the story “Getting out of the Miami Worldwide Airport with a 120 FBI brokers scouring that one venue — that was the straw that broke the camel’s again,” Spielberg stated. “And after I learn that I stated, ‘Aw. Man if that is true, I gotta make this image.'”
The remainder was historical past; “Catch Me If You Can” ended up being a really Spielbergian movie, full with thought-out lengthy takes, reflection pictures, and a sweeping John Williams rating. It is laborious to complain in regards to the job he did both, simply because it’s laborious to complain about Hanks’ efficiency because the older cat to DiCaprio’s younger mouse. Nonetheless, it is laborious to not marvel what might’ve been.
I might’ve cherished to see Gandolfini’s model of Carl Hanratty, as an illustration, and though I am glad Verbinski shifted focus to the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, I nonetheless assume he might’ve performed a advantageous job directing this film. Primarily based on his dealing with of the Jack Sparrow character within the “Pirates” movies, we all know Verbinski is superb in terms of depicting charismatic con-men characters and inspiring the viewers to root for an expert liar regardless that we all know we in all probability should not. (Arguably, Jack Sparrow is mainly only a grown-up Frank Abagnale Jr. on a ship.) Issues labored out for the perfect with Spielberg taking up “Catch Me If You Can,” however it’s not just like the alternate options did not have potential both.
