Name: Wenyu Guo
Date: October 26, 2020
Professor: Jono Mischkot
Course Name: International Writing Workshop II
At the Back of the Crime
What comes through an individual’s mind when they hear about crime? Everyone will agree that crime is frightening, nauseating, and a major contribution to society’s deterioration. However, very few will agree that criminals should be granted second chances and even be included in governmental agencies such as the FBI. The film ‘Catch me if you can’ portrays the journey of a smart con-artist, his highs, and lows, where he eventually ends up working with the FBI. All films usually represent some element of society as films are often the mirror of society. This particular film is notorious for its representation of crime almost to the point of its over-glorification. Nevertheless, in the end, there is the acknowledgment that some talented criminals could be useful in the law enforcement sector by aiding police activities. This essay explores how the film complicates our notions of criminality by looking into social issues of broken families as causative factors of engaging in crime and the restoration and rejuvenation of crimes resulting from law enforcement’s second chance.
Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher, notes that humans are social beings, hence forming families and communities. No man can break free from mutual dependence (Asikaogu, 2019). As such, the breaking of families as the basic social unit can be detrimental to these families’ especially if it is a sudden thing, and they are underage. As we all understand, cultural values are the core principles that dictate the way of life. This can trickle down to the family level and have positive or negative outcomes for the group members. The movie sheds light on Frank’s father’s tax evasion crime, a primary reason for the divorce. American society socializes members to view some crimes as more severe than others. This then brings in the question of what society thinks about crime. From a young age, most individuals are taught that crime is wrong, and they should flee from the temptation to engage in it. This then informs the judgment that individuals will pass on the people committing the crimes. We see Frank’s mother passing harsh judgment on her husband and leaving him because of the societal lessons on the same.
The father’s evasiveness may have been a culture that Frank had learned from a young age. From the film, it is evident that Frank idolizes his father and, therefore, is bound to follow in his father’s footsteps. Towards the middle of the film, we see a scene where Frank’s father rouses him out of bed, taking him to a store. Here, Frank watches as the father cons a woman into lending him a black suit. After that, the father does not seem to care as Frank plays his chauffeur’s role, which is another form of fraud. All these instances show that Frank has learned part of his game from the father. This is something that he carries on in all his conning exploits. However, due to the harsh judgment that society exercises on criminals, nobody ever stops to think about the underlying issues from which the commission of a crime may have risen.
The film is a memoir of Frank Abagnale, a con artist and bank forger from 15 to 21, and later became an American security consultant working with the FBI. Today, Abagnale also participate in sin public speaking and talks about his encounters and life both within and without crime. In his Google Talk, Abagnale, who is the inspiration for this film, notes that he was sure that the law would catch up with him (Talks at Google, 2018). This is based on the fact that the law may be slow, but it never dies. The film succeeds in illustrating the consequences of crime. The film has also attempted to show the positive side of rediscovering the places where energy can be re-channeled instead of turning to crime. Although this is not well-illustrated as it has only been emphasized towards the end, the following paragraphs will give significant analysis as proof of the issue.
This is quite an imbalance given that the media has often portrayed the police in a negative light. The media granted law enforcement attributes are what the public takes in and interprets as law enforcement attributes and behaviors (Moreli, 2015). The media has been accused of a lack of objectivity in reporting law enforcement cases. For instance, there are usually police officers’ magnification races in most cases instead of focusing on the issues. This leads to an increased negative perception of law enforcement officers. However, the film portrays a positive picture of law enforcement officers by showing Carl and his empathy towards Frank. Despite the entire society’s lack of understanding of his brokenness, Carl can detect it, as is evident from the scene where Frank calls him, and he notes that it is the loneliness that has driven him to do so.
Additionally, Carl is the man who negotiates to have Frank get a second chance, which illustrates his high empathy levels, something that the media would be unwilling to glorify or portray most of the time. American society has a culture whereby re-entry after serving time or suspecting a crime is quite tricky (Tegeng & Abadi, 2018). The department of Justice notes that about three-quarters of offenders are re-arrested within five years of their freedom. There are 6 out of ten who will be re-convicted, demonstrating the severity of this issue. One of the reasons associated with this is that there are usually no jobs. Stigmatization is high, leading the former inmates to the point of desperation. This is a causative factor of the recidivism rates that are increasing by the day. However, we see Carl allows Frank to rehabilitate and experience redemption (the second chance). This shows that law enforcement is about rehabilitation rather than punishment.
From a personal perspective and drawing instances from the film, the American community has hidden the real face of crime. American society has its misgivings, which have led to rampant corruption. Still, they fail to address these and instead give away a few of its members without addressing the root causes. We see Carl trying to chase Frank for most of the film as he has been labeled a criminal. However, at one time, something striking happens when Frank calls Carl to tell him to stop chasing. At this point, Carl unmasks the ‘child’ inside of Frank and lets him know the real reason for calling was because he did not have anyone to speak to. Frank hangs up, leaving the impression that this is somehow true. Even if he is this perfect criminal in an era where such crimes are unheard of, there is some loneliness inside him.
Such enlightenment shows that the system is broken. Frank has underlying issues that have led him into the world of crime. The brokenness of his family is top on the list of engaging in corruption. Nevertheless, the FBI only looks at the aspect of his crimes and never stops to think of the underlying issues. While nothing should excuse the behavior of conning people, it can be said that he was only using the God-given talent of intelligence and evasiveness to earn a living, which is part of the cultural values-people should earn a living. It is essential to recognize that Carl identifies Frank’s intelligence and confidence and allows him to work as part of the FBI team towards the end. Finally, intelligence has been put to fair use after a long struggle. Unfortunately, this fails to reflect the culture in modern-day society. There is so much intelligence rotting away in the prisons. This is because there is no burden of care for the people in charge to look at the contributions that prisoners can make if they can heal from their pasts. It does not mean that all people in prison should work with the FBI or law enforcement. Instead, it means that the inborn knowledge present in incarcerated individuals can lead to society’s advancement if the proper measures are adopted. This movie magnifies some of the social and cultural issues current in society. While it is good to have cultures that speak against crimes, it is best if the hypocrisy of ‘not seeing’ underlying issues to these crimes’ orchestration stops.
References
Morelli, A. (2015). The Media’s War on Police Officers. Politics and Activism
Talks at Google. (, 2018). Catch Me If You Can | Frank Abagnale. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsMydMDi3rI
Tegeng, G., & Abadi, H. (2018). Exploring Factors Contributing to Recidivism. Arts and Social Sciences Journal
“Catch Me If You Can.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 25 Dec. 2002, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264464/
Asikaogu, Joannes. (2019). A Critical Review of Aristotle’s view on Human sociality. International Journal of Humanities, Social Sciences & Work Place Ergonomics in Africa