NEW ULM – The New Ulm Film Society’s film series on the movies of Steven Spielberg takes on a fun cat and mouse story with a screening of “Catch Me If You Can.”

The screening is 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10 at the New Ulm Public Library.

“Catch Me If You Can” was released in 2002 and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. DiCaprio plays Frank Abagnale Jr., one of the most successful con artists and check forgers in history and Hanks plays the FBI agent tasked with catching him. The film jumps back and forth through time, showing different parts of Abagnale’s life, beginning with his final capture before going back to how he life of crime began, with most of the story spanning the 1960s.

The film is based on a semi-autobiographical book written by Frank Abagnale Jr., who claimed to have successfully con millions out of Pan American World Airways by impersonating a pilot. The film is loosely based on the book, but in recent years many of the facts of the story have been called to question. It is now believed the real Abagnale fabricated most of his exploits, but that should be expected since he was admitted to be a con artist.

The authenticity of the story aside, the film proved extremely popular with audiences and was a slight departure from the films Spielberg typically directed.

In the story, Abagnale runs away from home as a teenager after learning of his parents’ divorce. As a teenager on his own, he turns to running scams, beginning with simple check forgery. Over time Abagnale begins aiming hiring, forging payroll checks for different airlines. Not only is he able to steal money from the airlines, but he finds a quick way to travel around the world for free by posing as airline crew. As the crimes grow bigger it attracts the attention of the FBI agent Carl Hanratty played by Tom Hanks who is determined to catch Abagnale. One of the early breaks in the case for the FBI is when Carl learns Abagnale is a young teenager rather than a seasoned con artist. Hanratty also realizes that Abagnale’s behavior stems from his parents separation and is a form of acting out. Abagnale wants someone to try and find him. A part of him wants to be caught because he’s lonely.

In the film, Abagnale attempts to reunite his parents with no success. Worse, his father (played by Christopher Walken) is actually proud of his son’s life as a successful con artist and makes not attempt to stop his behavior. Without his father chasing him, Abagnale begins to develop a pseudo father-son relationship with Hanratty, the man actually chasing him. Every Christmas, Abagnale calls Hanratty to talk to him.

This father-son dynamic was an addition to the film that did not exist in the original book. The addition is a reflection on Spielberg’s tendency to place father-son dynamics in his movies. The approach was effective in the movie. Walken would receive an Oscar nomination for his performance as Frank Abagnale Sr.

“Catch Me if You Can” received high praise on its release for its focus on character. Spielberg had long been praised as one of the best directors of spectacle driven stories that delivered astounding visuals, but would often be criticized for overshadowing his characters and story in service grand images. “Catch Me If You Can,” is a film the heavily focuses on the characters. Though the story is mostly fiction, it is one of the more grounded Spielberg films.

That is not to say “Catch Me If You Can” is lacking visual flair. The film is set in the 1960s and was able to expertly recreate the look of the time period through costuming and set dressing. It is a real blast to the past for anyone who remembers growing up in the 1960s.

The New Ulm Film Society’s screening of “Catch Me If You Can” is free to the public. Before and after the film, there will be a discussion about the movie’s place in film history.