Running Time: 107 minutes
This feature from Sony Pictures opens exclusively at theaters on August 29th.
I’m very lucky to be a movie critic. I often get asked to press screenings, which means that the film begins exactly at the listed time. As a result, I don’t see many trailers and often opt to go into the theater without having seen any advertising about the movie. During a recent vacation, I needed to catch up on a title and went to the cinema. In the process, I saw several previews before the main attraction. One was for Caught Stealing, a new crime/comedy film.
After seeing the actual film, it reminded me that advertising departments aren’t always presenting the clearest vision of the project. Yes, there is plenty of dark humor in this picture, but it is first and foremost a crime story that takes audiences down a dark path. Given that this feature is from director Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Swan, The Wrestler, The Whale), I probably shouldn’t have expected sidesplitting humor and a breezy action film. And to be honest, at the beginning some of the humor didn’t land with me. But as events heated up and I treated it more as a crime film with the odd chuckler here and there, the film ended up converting me.
The story is set in the late 1990s and follows Henry “Hank” Thompson (Austin Butler), a waiter at a New York dive bar. He’s got a kind girlfriend in paramedic Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz), but is still haunted by a tragedy and spends much of his off-time drinking and obsessing over his favorite baseball team. One day, the lead’s punk neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) says he has a family emergency in London and that Hank must attend to his cat’s needs while he’s away. Hank begrudgingly accepts, only to be beaten nastily a short time later by a pair of goons (Nikita Kukushkin and Yuri Kolokolnikov).
During his recovery, Detective Roman (Regina King) gives Hank trouble, telling him the men are part of the Russian mob and suggesting he must be involved in their operations. The protagonist denies any wrongdoing, only to be threatened by a wide variety of underworld figures (played by the likes of Benito A. Martinez Ocasio aka Bad Bunny, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio and more). As Hank attempts to avoid being killed, he is also forced to come to terms with his past.
There is a fair amount of humor in the first act as the screenplay introduces Hank, Yvonne and various other locals. There are brief snippets of the traumatizing event, interspersed between the character flirting with Yvonne and joking with eccentric associates. While there are a few chuckles, some of this material doesn’t come across as overly jocular. And perhaps some of that quirkiness is muted by the threats that appear early on. The various assaults on Hank and innocent parties around him are played in a brutal, blunt and violent fashion. So, the odd tone of the movie does take some getting used to.
Thankfully, the cast are wonderful and do an exceptional job of melding the strange elements together. In spite of his past and other issues, Butler is a likable protagonist, in over his head and without a clue of what is happening or why. All of the cast are memorable, including a few familiar faces who appear in supporting roles (there is also a surprise cameo during the closing credits). And as the tension rises and we see an increasing number of shocking and unexpected events, the story becomes more and more engrossing.
The photography is excellent, successfully creating a gritty atmosphere. The images even have an intentionally grainy appearance that helps highlight the menace of the lead being chased down alleys and through various locations. When the action occurs (as well as during a few quieter moments), it’s shot in a dynamic way with clever camera angles. There are exciting shots when Hank is pursued down the street and into a business, some remarkable stunt driving, as well as a frequently repeated slow-motion image that makes a lasting impression.
Admittedly, this is an odd picture. I initially didn’t think the humor or story was gelling in the first act, but that may have been my problem due to seeing that misleading trailer (and I will stop watching them now for the foreseeable future). However, as the story and characters developed, the thrills followed and the occasional quip earned a laugh, I realized that I simply needed time to get on the movie’s specific wavelength. If you don’t mind eccentric crime pictures and can give it a chance, Caught Stealing should win you over.