Caught Stealing

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Considering the reviews I've read and the names attached to it, it frankly surprises me that this film hasn't been talked about more, seemingly caught somewhere between the latest 'Conjuring' movie and the controversial remake of 'The Toxic Avenger.' But I recommend not overlooking this title entirely. Speaking for myself, I'm not going to call it "perfect" or even among my top films this year, but there is definitely something to it that I enjoy. I could see myself coming back to it and allowing it to grow on me over time.

Among the primary draws to this film will be its director, Darren Aronofsky, who has proven to be an acquired taste with his movies that include titles like 'Requiem for a Dream,' 'Black Swan,' and 'Mother!' among others. If I were to describe his overall style, he's the guy who specializes in films that make you wanna take a shower after watching them. 'Caught Stealing' is really no exception, but what I really appreciate about this film is that, unlike so many of his others, it's a little more straightforward, and to be fair, a little bit outside his norm, which may very well lead die-hard Aronofsky fans to see it as one of his lesser movies.

I would personally consider this Aronofsky's movie for your "average Joe." While it's still very much his style, it doesn't go far into that "WTF?" realm he's so known for. He even goes so far as to tackle nostalgia here, subtly, as the film takes place in 1998, and does a good job of showing us the time frame without cramming it down our throats. The film focuses on a bartender named Henry "Hank" Thompson (Austin Butler), who has become something of an alcoholic following a disastrous car crash that he still has nightmares about, which threw off his ambitions to play major league baseball.

Hank, despite his dreams going up in smoke, still carries on with his life in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He has a passionate girlfriend named Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz) who takes good care of him, gets regular phone calls from his mother, who shares in his passion for baseball, and seemingly decent neighbours in his apartment complex, one of whom is a hardcore British punk named Russ Miner (Matt Smith), who, despite not being in it a whole hell of a lot, is probably the best part of this movie - a total 180 performance from what I've seen of him playing The Doctor in 'Dr. Who'.

When Russ takes off to London to visit his sick father, he leaves his cat, Bud (Tonic), in Hank's care. Things seem to be going okay, but soon, two Russian mobsters, Aleksei and Pavel, come looking for Russ, in search of something important enough to them that when Hank can't give them any answers, they viciously beat him half to death. Although he makes it out of the attack alive, Hank soon finds himself caught up in Russ's problems, and it's not long before things get personal, and Hank has to get to the bottom of it all, with it all going much deeper than he could have expected.

As I've mentioned, this is one of those films I really enjoy, but, as with most of Aronofsky's films, it's one I have to be in the mood for. Nothing about that whole feeling of needing a shower after watching the movie really goes away, and it's full of nasty stuff (both in good and bad ways, as Aronofsky does so well). That said, however, it's definitely one of his tamer films in the sense that it doesn't get too hardcore with anything - for that, I'd recommend 'Requiem for a Dream,' which makes this film look like a 'Scooby-Doo' mystery. This title might be a good place to start if you plan to delve into his material and want to start a bit lighter.

What makes this stand out lies between the performances of everyone on board, especially Matt Smith, who I didn't even recognize for the first couple of seconds. On top of that, the writing is a near-perfect balance of humour and tension, giving me a few laugh-out-loud moments while still allowing empathy for Hank's character and what he's caught up in. The only criticism I have about it is also what I like about it. For an Aronofsky film, it comes off as a bit more "plain & simple," and the dark, artsy side of him takes a bit of a back seat. For some, it won't quite be what they want, but for me, it's a bit of a breath of... almost fresh air.

4/5

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