Caught Stealing is a Pulpy, Entertaining Throwback
Swing for the fences
4/5 stars
Darren Aronofsky isn't known for subtlety. His films feature grand (in some cases, biblical) ambitions and are filled with intense, emotional performances bordering on melodrama. Not exactly the first name one thinks of to make an exciting, propulsive throwback to post-Tarantino crime comedies. And that is exactly what makes his newest film Caught Stealing such a joy. By stepping outside of his comfort zone and making a pulpy thriller with a delightfully punk style of humorous cynicism, Aronofsky has made one of his best films to date.
Set in New York City circa 1998, the film follows Hank Thompson (Austin Butler), a washed-up former baseball prodigy who suddenly finds himself babysitting a cat after his punker neighbor (Matt Smith) has to leave town for a few days. What seems like a simple task soon becomes anything but when thugs come to his apartment asking questions he doesn't know the answers to.
Now Hank is on the run from an assortment of colorful killers all looking for a mysterious key, and he must figure out what his neighbor is involved with if he hopes to get out of this alive. Much like Scorsese's After Hours and the aforementioned Tarantino knockoffs, Aronofsky keeps the suspense jacked up by raising the stakes higher and higher, and Butler does good work in his "everyman in the wrong place at the wrong time" role. It is also extremely funny, but Aronofsky knows when to cut the humor for his trademark pathos as the bodies start piling up. With a tight script, memorable characters, and brutal action sequences, Aronofsky proves that he can do genre films just as good as anyone.
Directed by Darren Aronofsky // Written by Charlie Huston, based on his novel // Starring Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoe Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D'Onofrio, Griffin Dunne, Nikita Kukushkin, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Bad Bunny, George Abud, Will Brill. D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Action Bronson, Carol Kane, and Tonic the Cat // Sony Pictures // 107 minutes // Rated R
