Steven Spielberg's 141-Minute Crime Thriller Is Free To Stream & It's A Masterpiece From Start To Finish

Published Oct 21, 2026, 8:30 AM EDT

Richard Craig is a Senior Author at Screen Rant covering film and TV. Richard has also written extensively about horror and film soundtracks, contributing a chapter to the first major academic collection on the folk horror genre, The Routledge Companion to Folk Horror. Richard is also a performing musician and holds an MA in Music and Sound Art.

Steven Spielberg's impeccable crime thriller is available to stream, making it the perfect time to revisit one of the legendary director’s most overlooked masterpieces. Steven Spielberg has made so many acclaimed movies that even some of his finest work can get lost in the shuffle. Between his groundbreaking sci-fi adventures, harrowing war epics, and adventure blockbusters, the legendary director's filmography is practically a greatest-hits collection. Yet one of his most entertaining movies deserves considerably more attention whenever audiences discuss his best work.

Steven Spielberg has always been fascinated by larger-than-life characters, whether they're battling extraterrestrial visitors, hunting prehistoric predators, or chasing an archaeological treasure. Some of his most memorable films also explore the people who find themselves on the wrong side of the law, with Spielberg often finding humanity in characters whose actions would otherwise make them difficult to sympathize with.

That ability to balance spectacle with character development has helped Spielberg remain one of Hollywood's most influential filmmakers. His movies can be thrilling, heartbreaking, and occasionally downright silly, sometimes within the same scene. While his serious dramas tend to dominate discussions of his artistic achievements, his lighter work can be just as impressive.

With two major Hollywood stars, a wonderfully eccentric supporting cast, and a score by John Williams, Catch Me If You Can (2002) is an irresistible mix of crime, comedy, and drama. Better still, viewers can find it on Kanopy, a streaming service that offers free access to participating library members.

Catch Me If You Can Is One Of Spielberg's Best Movies

Catch Me If You Can deserves a place among Spielberg's greatest movies. It’s impressive company for a filmmaker whose career includes Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler's List, and Saving Private Ryan. Released in 2002, Catch Me If You Can stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale Jr., a young con artist who poses as a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer while forging checks and evading FBI agent Carl Hanratty, played by Tom Hanks.

Catch Me If You Can manages to make Frank's elaborate deceptions so entertaining that viewers can enjoy the audacity of his schemes without forgetting the damage they cause. DiCaprio gives Frank an infectious confidence, but there's a sadness beneath the expensive suits and borrowed authority. His parents' marriage is collapsing, and his increasingly extravagant impersonations become a desperate attempt to recover the comfortable family life he's lost.

Christopher Walken offers one of the movie's most affecting performances as Frank's father, Frank Sr. Their relationship gives the film an emotional center that distinguishes it from a straightforward game of cat and mouse. Meanwhile, Hanks makes Carl more than a humorless pursuer, and his persistence gradually develops into an unlikely connection with the fugitive.

Catch Me If You Can also deserves a fresh look because its source material is more complicated than its breezy presentation suggests. It adapts Abagnale's memoir, but the extent of his real-life exploits has been disputed. That doesn't undo the film's achievements; it makes the distinction between an entertaining Hollywood caper and a reliable historical account worth remembering. For anyone looking to revisit Spielberg's filmography, Catch Me If You Can is available through Kanopy.

Spielberg Is Underrated When It Comes To Comedy

Spielberg's reputation as a master of suspense and spectacle sometimes overshadows his comic instincts. Yet Catch Me If You Can makes a convincing case that his sense of humor deserves just as much attention. It's a crime thriller, but much of its pleasure comes from watching Frank bluff his way through situations that should expose him immediately.

Spielberg understands the absurdity of the performance without turning Frank into a cartoon. The humor comes from the gap between Frank's polished exterior and the increasingly precarious situation underneath it. Spielberg has used similar instincts throughout his career.

The Indiana Jones films frequently puncture their own adventure-movie grandeur with Harrison Ford's exasperated reactions, slapstick mishaps, and perfectly timed reversals. Catch Me If You Can gives him an entire film built around that sensibility.

Frank's audacity repeatedly collides with the mundane reality of his predicament, while Hanks' increasingly frustrated FBI agent provides an excellent comic counterweight. Their cat-and-mouse relationship becomes funny without losing its tension or emotional significance.

Spielberg makes the chase entertaining while allowing loneliness, family breakdown, and the consequences of fraud to remain part of the story. Catch Me If You Can proves that his talent extends well beyond blockbuster spectacle.