In 1960s New York, young Frank Abagnale Jr. watches his world collapse as his parents, Frank Sr. (Christopher Walken) and Paula (Nathalie Baye), go through a bitter divorce.
Running away from home with little cash, Frank quickly learns that charm, a tailored suit, and a self-assured attitude will get him a long way.
Posing as a student journalist interviewing a Pan Am pilot, Frank learns the ins and outs of the airline industry. He then crafts fake pilot IDs and Pan Am payroll cheques, hitching free rides on flights and building a multi-million-dollar cheque-forging scheme across 26 countries.
While evading capture, Frank finds himself in Georgia, where he impulsively invents a cover story as a chief resident paediatrician named Dr Frank Connors. He works shifts at a local hospital (relying on interns to do the heavy lifting) and nearly marries a naive young nurse named Brenda (Amy Adams).
Through sheer audacity and falsified credentials, Frank passes the bar exam and poses as a Louisiana prosecutor working in the state attorney general’s office before he is forced to flee again.
FBI agent Carl Hanratty – a humourless, divorced, workaholic specialist in bank fraud – makes it his singular obsession to catch Frank.
Throughout the chase, the two develop an unusual, long-distance psychological bond. They even speak on the phone every Christmas Eve, with Frank calling Carl simply because he has no one else left in his life to talk to.
Carl tracks Frank to a printing-press hideout in Montrichard, France. French police arrest Frank, and he serves time in a brutal French prison before being extradited back to the United States.
Sentenced to 12 years in federal prison, Frank receives a visit from Carl after nearly dying from pneumonia in his cell. Carl offers him a deal – to serve the remainder of his sentence working out of the FBI’s Financial Crimes Unit and helping the bureau catch other document forgers and fraud artists.
Frank agrees and channels his inside knowledge into a legitimate career designing anti-fraud cheques, and settles into a stable life.
Frank Abagnale Jr.
Leonardo DiCaprio Carl Hanratty
Tom Hanks Frank Abagnale
Christopher Walken Roger Strong
Martin Sheen Paula Abagnale
Nathalie Baye Brenda Strong
Amy Adams Jack Barnes
James Brolin Earl Amdursky
Brian Howe Tom Fox
Frank John Hughes Paul Morgan
Steve Eastin Special Agent Witkins
Chris Ellis Assistant Director Marsh
John Finn Cheryl Ann
Jennifer Garner Carol Strong
Nancy Lenehan Marci
Ellen Pompeo Lucy
Elizabeth Banks Warden Garren
Guy Thauvette Darcy
Candice Azzara Loan Officer
Matthew Kimbrough Joanna
Kaitlin Doubleday Principal Evans
Thomas Kopache Ms Davenport
Margaret Travolta Mr Kesner
Alex Hyde-White Mrs Lavalier
Lilyan Chauvin Ashley
Jennifer Manley Mr Rosen
Robert Symonds Terry
Mike Baldridge Victor Griffith
Jim Antonio Dr Ashland
Jonathan Brent Dr Harris
Shane Edelman Mr Hendricks
Patrick Thomas O’Brien Monica
Jaime Ray Newman Debra Jo
Deborah Kellner Heather
Mercedes Cornett Miggy
Amy Acker Abe Penner
Malachi Throne Ira Penner
Alfred Dennis Penner Brother
Max Kerstein Captain Oliver
Jan Munroe Ilene
Jamie Anderson Candy
Kam Heskin Peggy
Jessica Collins
Director
Steven Spielberg
Video
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Posing as a student journalist interviewing a Pan Am pilot, Frank learns the ins and outs of the airline industry. He then crafts fake pilot IDs and Pan Am payroll cheques, hitching free rides on flights and building a multi-million-dollar cheque-forging scheme across 26 countries.
Through sheer audacity and falsified credentials, Frank passes the bar exam and poses as a Louisiana prosecutor working in the state attorney general’s office before he is forced to flee again.
