Far from a home run, but another statement on the starpower of Austin Butler
After the darkness of past works such as Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream, Mother, and Pi, it’s hard to dispute that Darren Aronofsky has earned right to cut a little loose, to indulge some of his other interests and plainly have a bit of fun with a production. Caught Stealing, adapted from a 1998 book by Charlie Huston (who also penned the screenplay) showcases the assured directorial hand we expect from the filmmaker. And while it’s fast, fun, and often gripping, the film struggles to find its footing tonally, ping-ponging between gritty noir, absurdist comedy, and emotional drama.
Austin Butler stars as Hank Thompson, a former baseball prodigy whose promising career was shattered by a car crash, a trauma that continues to haunt him, both in his nightmares and his self-destructive reality. Now working in a dive bar and battling alcoholism (compounded by an early run-in with some Ukrainian thugs that leaves him with kidney damage), Hank seems to be circling the drain. The bright spot in his life is Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz), a no-nonsense paramedic and romantic partner who tries to help him sober up and curb his more errant ways.
Returning home one evening they are met by Hank’s British neighbor Russ (Matt Smith, going full mohawk-punk miscreant), who, having to visit his ailing father back in Blighty, asks him to look after his cat, Bud. A simple favor opens up a chaotic series of events, as Hank is dragged into the underbelly of the New York crime scene. Encircled by Russian thugs, a Puerto Rican hustler (Bad Bunny), hounded by Orthodox Jewish mobsters (playfully realized by Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio), and a ever-lurking NYPD detective (Regina King), Hank finds himself dragged into the mess his neighbor left behind, trying to save himself and figure out what the hell he’s been sucked into.
The film throws a lot at you, and sometimes, it works. When Caught Stealing leans into its more absurdist elements, or fully commits to its darker, more violent and nightmarish turns, it hints at a far more assured film. But it too often hesitates, landing instead in a tonal no-man’s land. A brutal, affecting scene might be followed by a bizarrely comic detour, only for the emotional fallout to return later as convenient plot propulsion. That lack of tonal commitment undermines what could have been a standout entry in the quirky-crime genre. Despite the scattershot storytelling, Butler delivers a grounded, worn-in performance that serves as the emotional ballast. He brings sincerity and quiet pain to Hank, helping anchor the film when its plot threatens to spiral off the rails. Supporting cast dial in work that is certainly attuned to the 2000s-vibe when these kinds of films were rife. Kravitz brings warmth and steel, while Smith seems to be having the most fun of anyone on screen. But let’s be honest, Tonic the cat, playing Bud, absolutely steals the show.
The overall production does impress, capturing a scuzzy, late-‘90s East Village vibe through Mark Friedberg’s grimy production design and Matthew Libatique’s kinetic cinematography, combining to authentically render strip clubs, Chinese restaurants, and corner delis. Musically, the film hammers home its period with an over-insistent soundtrack that blares era-defining hits a bit too loudly and too often. It’s yet another element that feels somewhat forced, or the recurring radio broadcasts of Hank’s favorite (and often losing) baseball team, another nod to a bygone cinematic device that doesn’t always land.
In the end, Caught Stealing isn’t as breezy as it wants to be, nor as grim as it could have been. It sits somewhere in the middle, assured in its aesthetics, but wanting in its execution. Had it fully leaned into either its absurdism or its grit, it might have found something sharper. Instead, it wobbles through its narrative, like its protagonist, battered, confused, but still pushing onward.
Caught Stealing is a throwback to the 2000s era of weird-tilting gangster capers. It strives for a punk sensibility, and there is an undeniable quality to the film in terms of performances (notably Butler as an impressive ballast) and overall production, but it never quite finds its tonal groove. Is it a fun diversion? Sure. Is it a home run? Far from it.
Caught Stealing hits theaters on August 29th
