Photo courtesy Sony
By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
Filmmaker Darren Aronofsky is not known for presenting stories with mainstream appeal, but he alters his style a bit to create a fun, yet still dark, viewing experience. “Caught Stealing” is a crime thriller based on the novel of the same name by Charlie Huston. This is a well-told story that audiences will find immediately gripping with a sprinkling of dark humor throughout to lighten the mood.
After a tragic accident ended his promising professional baseball career, Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) lives out his days as a bartender at a local dive bar in New York City. His alcoholic tendencies make him an unreliable boyfriend, but Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz) knows they share a special connection and holds out hope for a more committed future. When his friend Russ (Matt Smith) drops by unexpectedly to look after his cat while he visits his ailing father in London, Hank is in for a surprise that will turn his world upside down.
Two Russian mobsters named Pavel (Nikita Kukushkin) and Aleksei (Yuri Kolokolnikov) show up at his door looking for Russ, thrusting Hank in the middle of New York’s criminal underbelly. They’re after a fortune of cash they are convinced Russ knows the location of, but they’re not alone. Two ruthless Orthodox Jews named Lipa (Liev Schreiber) and Shmully (Vincent D’Onofrio) will kill anyone who stands in their way of the money without so much as blinking. With survival looking increasingly doubtful, Hank is desperate for a way out of this mess.
Director Darren Aronofsky is well known for uncomfortably illustrating the darkest side of human nature as he did with “Requiem for a Dream” and “Black Swan,” for which he received his only Oscar nomination. He is a very artistic filmmaker with a flair for unfiltered, brutal imagery, creating quality productions that do not have a high rewatchability factor. He still incorporates those shocking visuals with stylistic cinematography, but not to an overwhelmingly gruesome extent like he’s done in the past.
Aronofsky successfully captures the look and feel of 1998 New York City, including subtle references like Mayor Giuliani’s law prohibiting more than three people from dancing in a bar and the actual MLB wild card race continually showing up in the background. These little details add up to give the fictional story an added element of authenticity viewers will appreciate. The criminal characters he incorporates are all eccentric in their own way, making them stand out from the cookie cutter antagonists that typically show up in these thrillers. Through these memorable characters, Aronofsky is able to inject amusing dark humor that livens the production and keeps the pace moving rather quickly.
Oscar nominee Austin Butler (“Elvis”) delivers a remarkable performance as the ex-baseball player turned alcoholic who unintentionally finds himself mixed up in a criminal enterprise. While doing specific workouts to give himself a ball player’s body, he also ate a bunch of pizza and drank beer to give his character that drinking problem look without being overly toned. This dedication and preparation allow him to achieve a sense of realism that gives his character more depth and relatability.
The rest of the supporting cast is highly talented and elevates the quality of production, starting with Zoë Kravitz. Her portrayal of the main character’s love interest is realistic with an electric chemistry that jumps off the screen. Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio provide some funny comic relief as the murderous Orthodox Jews. But the real scene stealer is Matt Smith, an English actor best known for his work in “Doctor Who.” He supplies his character with a reckless impulsiveness unconcerned with consequences that makes him a joy to watch, and the flamboyant mohawk only enhances his eccentric personality.
After a run of mediocre to outright horrible films over the past couple weeks, “Caught Stealing” is a breath of fresh air. This is a quick hitting crime thriller that doesn’t waste any time getting to the meat of the story, and it has a good sense of humor, which is very atypical of the usually darkly brooding Darren Aronofsky. Whie this may not win any awards, it is entertaining with a quality filmmaking approach that makes for a worthwhile trip to the theater.
This movie earns:
