First time feature writer Charlie Huston and acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky partner together to create one of the most explosive movies about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and not knowing when to shut up and mind your business. While the movie is a roller coaster for its leading man and the audience, the overall experience feels like its over in a few minutes (complimentary) and accelerates the heart rate from the adrenaline fueled throughout the feature. While it may be messy and chaotic – Caught Stealing is going to be a movie that gets over analyzed to death and Tonic the cat is going to steal the audiences hearts, even if they’re dog people at their core.
The movie focuses on former prospective baseball player Hank Thomspon (Austin Butler) who works in a bar and lives beside his neighbour Russ (Matt Smith) who inadvertently has to go back home to the UK to visit his dying father. He asks Hank and involuntarily his girlfriend, Yvonne (Zoe Kravitz) to take care of his cat Tonic while he’s away. Begrudgingly agreeing, everything is fine until gangsters show up at Russ’s door and Hank runs his mouth and gets the living hell beaten out of him. He ends up in the hospital with a ruptured and removed kidney which leads Detective Roman (Regina King) to investigate what has happened here and why they’re after Russ. After some back and forth we find out Russ is being investigated for drug trafficking and has found himself involved in some very questionable things, but aside from the gangsters he’s also needing to avoid the Hassidic jews, Lipa and Shmully (Live Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio). While all of this is happening, Hank must figure out what the gangsters are looking for and protect his loved ones before they get made examples of.
What works incredibly well here is the direction by Aronofsky and the performances from the entire cast, the script however is slightly messy. This gets a little bit of a pass though, simply because Huston comes from a television background and writing television and episodic can have standing stories and executions – which is how Caught Stealing is told and formatted, but at times its certainly slower and less engaging. When its on fire, the movie is the most engaging, but when its lagging and jumping from plot point to plot point it needs a little more umph to get the audience fully engaged. However, no matter how you feel about Austin Butler just know this will make you jump on the Butler train – he’s exceptional in his role as Hank. Zoe Kravitz is slightly underutilized but she’s great when she has time to shine, and rounding it out Regina King, Live Schriber and Vincent D’Onofrio (whose practically unrecognizable) are amazing and round out the cast excellently.
Overall, Caught Stealing is going to catch you stealing feelings for Tonic the Cat, but really it is a great movie, Aronofsky fans will be happily delighted with how this plays, it runs by its entire running time and Charlie Huston is leaning the ropes of writing features versus television. The cast is excellent, even if underutilized at times, but overall the movie truly is a blast and exceptional for a time period of late 90s New York and reminding us all to not get involved in drug trafficking or take care of friends/neighbours pets before we know explicitly what we’re getting involved in.
