10 Underrated John Williams Tracks
4. Catch Me If You Can - Father and Son (2002)
Catch Me If You Can is Spielberg's most underrated film. It's often overlooked as it's neither a blockbuster or a serious historical epic. It's closer in tone to his very first theatrical film, The Sugarland Express. It's the melancholy tale of an incredibly successful con man Frank Abagnale, Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his adventures as a fake pilot, fake doctor, and fake lawyer.
Williams started off as a jazz musician and his score for Catch Me If You Can feels like something "Johnny Williams" would have produced back in the 1950s.
However, it's the musical theme for Frank and his father, Frank Abagnale, Sr. (Christopher Walken in a heartbreaking performance) that shines through here.
It's an ode to a childhood that never really occurred except within Frank Junior's memory. Those same saxophones that characterize the upbeat opening title become mournful reminders that young Frank can never go home again. His father knows it. His dogged FBI pursuer (Tom Hanks) knows it. The audience knows it. But Frank does not and it's what makes this one of Spielberg's most moving films.