Unstoppable! Unmatched!
Young Frank's "life of crime" has fully begun. He's slowly learning to use his good looks and charm to take shortcuts and achieve his goals.
Not only can he easily win over attractive flight attendants, but he also charms pretty bank tellers into teaching him about checks.
On the movie screen, Anson Wood shows a side we've never seen before. Whether it was "The Princess Diaries" or "Spider-Man," his handsomeness was never the defining trait of his characters. In some ways, Anson even had to hide his brilliance. But this movie gives him a platform.
Steven Spielberg uses close-up shots to fully showcase Anson's charm on the big screen.
When those clear and bright blue eyes gaze deeply into the camera, with soft golden-brown hair and defined features, his radiant and elegant smile is like sunlight piercing through the willow branches and gently rippling on the serene surface of a lake, mesmerizing viewers into losing themselves.
Thump. Thump.
Hearts pound hard against chests.
It's not just women; even men can't deny how pleasing this scene is to the eye.
Momentarily lost in thought, Melvin recalls his first meeting with Anson. Standing under the sunlight, sweating and beaming brightly like Apollo himself. A brief moment of distraction, and his attention is drawn back to the big screen, immersing him in the story.
There's no denying that Anson was made for the big screen.
In the end, young Frank buys a bank check typewriter at a bankruptcy auction, delving into professional territory from ink to font. This allows him to forge checks with more freedom and boldness, faking salaries and personal checks as he pleases.
The principle isn't complicated; the key is that no one had used it before.
In the lower-left corner of a check, there's a set of data—the routing number—that identifies the issuing bank's location.
The coding starts from Boston on the East Coast and follows the entire coastline from north to south, numbered from 01 to 06, then moves westward.
If a check's routing number is 02, it will be sent to the bank's New York branch for processing. But if you change the routing number to 12, it will go to the San Francisco branch instead.
In the 1960s, when transportation and communication weren't well-developed, a check sent from the East Coast to the West Coast could take up to two weeks or more to clear.
This means that when young Frank cashes a check with a routing number of 12 in New York, the bank wouldn't realize a counterfeit check was issued for the next two weeks. He has plenty of time to change cities and banks, continuing to cash fake checks under different identities.
This is how young Frank truly becomes a "pilot"—
Traveling between different cities, staying in various hotels, attending high-class events, surrounded by beautiful women, living lavishly and freely, like a winner in life.
Because of this, young Frank finally gathers the courage to face his family, inviting old Frank to meet at a fancy restaurant in New York.
However, the father who used to be high and mighty, all-knowing and all-powerful, suddenly seems timid, small, and... aged.
He doesn't know the proper way to use the silverware at the restaurant. When young Frank gives him the keys to a brand-new Cadillac as a gift, he worries about what the tax authorities will do and pushes the keys back. He doesn't even have the confidence to bring Frank's mother back.
Young Frank is a bit panicked.
He tries to comfort his father but finds he has nothing to offer besides money.
In the end, it's the father who ends up comforting him instead.
Young Frank has no idea that just as his father became a thorn in the side of the tax authorities and didn't dare to make a move, he too has attracted the FBI's attention.
Worse yet, his strange behavior in Hollywood has caught the FBI's eye, sending three agents to investigate the hotel. He's about to expose himself—
In the screening room, people unconsciously hold their breath.
Among the three agents sent to Hollywood is Carl Hanratty, the man who will eventually capture young Frank.
So, does young Frank get caught this easily?
But the movie is not even an hour in. If he gets caught so easily, what's left for the movie to show? The trial?
A mix of curiosity, tension, and anticipation keeps the audience glued to the screen.
Then, they are not disappointed.
Not only that, but there's also a surprise. The entire audience witnesses a magic trick—
Just like a disappearing act, young Frank is cornered in a room by Carl, even with a gun pointed at him. But using his wit, calmness, and charisma, he spins Carl around effortlessly, making up a convincing law enforcement identity.
"...Barry Allen, U.S. Secret Service."
Pfft.
Melvin almost bursts out laughing: Barry Allen, The Flash.
Maybe in the distant 1964, The Flash comic wasn't that famous; but in 2002, superhero comics had a growing number of readers.
Also, The Flash is a DC character, while Anson's Spider-Man is a Marvel character.
The intertextuality inside and outside the movie creates a brilliant contrast.
Melvin isn't the only one; there are muffled, low chuckles spreading through the screening room.
In the end, young Frank walks away unscathed.
In the first showdown between "Young Frank vs. Carl," young Frank, the super conman, scores a perfect victory, making Carl look like a rookie.
Suddenly, the movie becomes interesting—
To be precise, the movie was already very interesting, but now it's even more intriguing and captivating.
On one side, the FBI higher-ups think Carl's description of the suspect is too vague, and so far, there's no criminal record to be found. Continuing the investigation is like finding a needle in a haystack. Although they don't stop Carl, they worry he's setting himself up for failure.
This only fuels Carl's pride.
On the other side, young Frank sets his sights on pilot pension checks, trying to repeat his trick by interviewing retired pilots to perfect his plan, only to find out that he's become front-page news. His crimes have garnered too much attention.
"...They're calling him the 'Sky James Bond.'"
This gives young Frank an idea.
He realizes he can't continue taking high-risk actions; he needs to stay away from the aviation field for a while. He needs to forge a new identity.
Maybe James Bond?
While young Frank watches a 007 movie in a theater to brush up on his spy knowledge, low chuckles ripple through the audience at the Chinese Theatre.
So, is this some of Steven Spielberg's dark humor?
Compared to young Frank's glamorous spy life, Carl's life seems particularly miserable—a sad little office worker even on Christmas Eve.
But Carl never expected young Frank to call him.
"Young Frank vs. Carl 2.0" came sooner than expected.
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