Catch Me If You Can - Characters & Cast

His primary motivation is the adolescent fantasy of reuniting his broken family. He believes that if he can accumulate enough money and status, he can reverse his parents' divorce and restore his father's lost honor, thus returning to the idyllic childhood he remembers.

Frank begins as a heartbroken teenager who turns to deception as a coping mechanism for his parents' divorce. He evolves into a confident master forger, reveling in the freedom and glamour of his criminal life. However, his journey reveals a deepening isolation, and he ultimately realizes that his cons cannot fix his family or provide true happiness. Through his relationship with Carl Hanratty, he transitions from a perpetual runaway to a man who accepts responsibility, finds a legitimate purpose for his talents, and finally stops running.

Initially motivated by a rigid sense of duty to uphold the law, Carl's motivation shifts as he develops a grudging respect and then a genuine concern for Frank's welfare. He becomes driven not just to capture Frank, but to save him from a self-destructive and lonely path.

Carl starts as a humorless, dedicated, and somewhat socially awkward FBI agent obsessed with his work. His pursuit of Frank is initially purely professional, but it slowly becomes personal as he recognizes the lonely boy behind the master criminal. He transitions from Frank's adversary to his only trusted confidant and, ultimately, a paternal figure who offers him a path to redemption and becomes the stable anchor in his life.

Motivated by a desperate need to reclaim his lost dignity and status, Frank Sr. clings to the belief that image is everything. He encourages his son's deceptive talents, viewing them as a way to fight back against a system that he feels has wronged him, all while sinking deeper into failure and denial.

Frank Sr. begins as his son's charismatic idol, a man who believes in the power of appearance and charm. After losing his business to the IRS and his wife to his best friend, his arc is one of tragic decline. He becomes a broken, disillusioned man who lives vicariously through his son's fraudulent success, unable to offer moral guidance. Each time Frank Jr. visits him, he appears more diminished, representing the slow death of the dream Frank Jr. is trying to reclaim.