"Cat and Mouse" is a Spielberg-directed film starring Leonardo and Tom Hanks about the saga of teenage fraudster Frank Abanel. Between 1963 and 1967, Frank Abanel traveled around the world, using various means to defraud more than $4 million. When he was in middle school, he pretended to be a substitute teacher to teach French, and successfully deceived his classmates and the school for a week. In addition, he has also pretended to be a pilot, doctor, lawyer, and even forged 2.5 million US dollars in checks in more than 20 countries around the world, becoming a wanted criminal in many countries.
American FBI agent Carl stared at Frank, just like a game of cat and mouse, the two chased and fled, until 1967, Carl successfully captured Frank and sent him to prison. However, Carl understood that Frank was just an ignorant teenager. He gave Frank a chance to serve his sentence outside prison and asked Frank, the "master of counterfeiting", to help the FBI investigate the case of forged checks. Frank also took this opportunity to put his talent on the table. Used on the right path.
By the way, the story is true, and by 2002, when the film was released, the real Frank had been married for 26 years, had three sons, and lived a peaceful life. Now Frank is a security consultant in the United States. Since his release from prison in 1974, he has helped the FBI discover many of the world's most difficult to check forgery and solved many major cases. He also helped many banks and Fortune 500 companies design secure checks, which ultimately earned him millions of dollars.
Spielberg is one of Hollywood's leading directors, having won two Oscars for Best Director for "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan," and the nominations are countless. In this biographical film, Spielberg stuffed a lot of small stories, which makes the whole film not the kind of big structure that starts and turns, but consists of many small clues, lingering back and forth. Nesting, this kind of processing especially requires the director's layout skills and skills.
In this regard, Spielberg is skilled and easy to control. He often does not describe directly, but through characteristic side narration, adding a unique lighthearted humor to the story, coupled with the possibility of repeating the story. Use a variety of shooting methods to make the whole film look like there are changes without fatigue. The translation name of the film is "Cat and Mouse Game", the original name is "Catch me if you can", but the theme of the film is more like a contest between lies and truth.
At the beginning, Frank's father taught him to use luxury cars and expensive clothes to gain the trust of others, so Frank chose a shortcut. Instead of trying to accept the reality, he tried to tell the lie more than the truth.
With his talent, he forged checks and identities and got away with it. But what his father said "To the moon" (one step to the sky) is illusory after all, and he was caught in the end after taking one step to the sky.
Fortunately, Carl, an old enemy, father and friend, did not give up on him, and eventually led him back to reality.
In the end, it turned out that when he put his talents to use in reality, the value he obtained was more than what he deceived in a lie. After all, he was a guy who could pass the bar exam in two weeks. Very ingeniously, the film has Leonardo playing Frank, and his childlike face at that time makes people feel emotionally sympathetic to the protagonist who is doing wrong and committing crimes, which makes it easier to enter the story. Perhaps this is also the director's special ingenuity.
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