Caught Stealing
Austin Butler Shows off his Star Power
Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing has all the ingredients of a great crime film: Russian mobsters, car chases, shifting allegiances, stolen money, and, of course, a cat who steals the show.
The film centers around Hank Thompson (Austin Butler), a washed-up baseball star whose plans to go pro were quickly dashed by an injury. Now, he lives vicariously through his love of the San Francisco Giants while working at a grungy dive bar in 1998 New York. When his neighbor, Russ (Matt Smith), asks him to watch his cat while he visits his dad in England, Hank’s connection to Russ almost immediately pulls him into the crosshairs of ruthless criminals hunting for his neighbor and the drug money he has hidden—all of which Hank knows nothing about.
The criminal activity Hank becomes involved in is headed by perhaps one too many thugs. Most notably, there are Russian mobsters (Yuri Kolokolnikov and Nikita Kukushkin) who work for Colorado (Bad Bunny, credited here as Benito Martínez Ocasio), and the most unlikely but comically ingenious duo of Lipa and Shmully (Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio), Hasidic brothers who are deeply devout but among the most gruesome killers to cross Hank’s path. The large ensemble of bad guys makes the film lag a bit in the middle as the audience struggles to keep track of who’s who, but Aronofsky and writer Charlie Huston redeem this chaos in the end.
Caught Stealing isn’t the most creative or shocking film ever made—many of the twists will be easy to spot from a mile away—but that’s forgivable. The film maintains a quick, consistent pace and switches from gory and disgusting to charmingly funny from shot to shot. The enjoyment nearly makes the audience forget all about the predictability. Plus, it’s visually stunning. Aronofsky, production designer Mark Friedberg, and his long-time cinematographer, Matthew Libatique, create a vibrant yet grungy vision of 1990s New York, one that fully immerses the audience in Hank’s story.
Aronofsky and Huston also lend unexpected depth to Hank’s character, giving the film more emotional weight than most in its genre. Butler proves he was undeniably the right choice for Hank, capturing the character’s internal and external pain with subtlety and authenticity.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also praise Tonic the cat (one of the 2 main cats to play Church in Pet Sematary) in his role as Buddy. We’ve become somewhat accustomed to talented dog actors, but it’s rare to find a cat who can so effortlessly command the screen. He’s sure to claw his way into the hearts of cat lovers (like me) and dog lovers (like Hank) alike.
Predictable, chaotic, and occasionally gruesome, Caught Stealing is anchored by Butler’s strong performance and Aronofsky’s immersive vision, even if the crowded plot sometimes trips over itself. And to top it off, the film closes with one of the most creatively executed end credits sequences (thanks in part to the band Idles and their original soundtrack for the film).
