In recent years, audiences have suffered through a drought of films starring a simple, clumsy protagonist having an incredibly rough day. The “John Wick” franchise — and its clones — has taught us that everyone is secretly a highly skilled assassin with a basement full of firearms. But director Darren Aronofsky takes a page from Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours” and shows us a regular, all-American alcoholic having a bad time in Alphabet City. And it’s a damn good genre film.
“Caught Stealing” is set in 1998 New York City at the height of accused sexual abuser Rudy Giuliani’s mayoralty and the slow, first wave of gentrification within the East Village. The film introduces us to Hank Thompson (Austin Butler), an ex-baseball player whose time is split between bartending, calling his mom and a situationship with Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz). The booze-filled world he’s grown complacent with quickly nosedives when his British punk neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) leaves Hank in charge of his cat, Bud, while he flies back to London. After some rough-looking Russians come looking for Russ, it’s up to Hank to put the pieces together and navigate the web of crime he’s unknowingly stepped into.
Butler carries the film with a manic energy not seen since his breakout role in “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.” Kravitz’s charisma and quick wit complements his electrifying presence and, while snappy, carries an intoxicating empathy that threatens to shake Butler’s character out of his drinking-filled days. The pair has incredible chemistry on screen. The rest of the ensemble is brought to life by Smith’s whiny edgelord antics that are simply hilarious to watch, Regina King’s casual cruelty as Detective Elise Roman, as well as Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio, who are magnetic as a pair of Hasidic mobsters.
Of course, these characters play second-fiddle to Aronofsky’s direction. A fetishist through and through, he takes comfort in the perils of alcoholism and vehicular manslaughter. His camera work is dynamic — quick enough to whip around and follow Hank as he bobs and weaves through Chinatown, but also refined enough to focus on a look, a flesh wound or a goodbye. Aronofsky sets the fast pace early, and if you don’t grab onto something in the first five minutes, he risks losing you. But he doesn’t care. Aronofsky is dealing with pulp here, and similar to David Fincher with “Fight Club,” he isn’t interested in settling us into the film but rather taking a B-movie and transfiguring it into something that borders on obsession while remaining within the bounds of a popcorn flick.
The film pulls no punches — Hank eats a lot of shit in this film, and it’s very refreshing. After all, to be a protagonist is to suffer. In addition to Hank’s torture, the production design, editing and sound effects ground us in a gritty New York City and maintain the film’s quick tempo. Everything from the sleepy laundromats to the way the rain-pattered neon signs flicker is a testament to Aronofsky’s crew. It’s hard not to feel pulled in as you watch Hank dangle from fire escapes and run through the Lower East Side.
“Caught Stealing” is a fun time, but the film also gives you a lot to chew on. Hank struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and survivor’s guilt following a traumatic car crash in his youth, something the film flashes back to several times. Details like the way he tightly grips the steering wheel or anxiously tells his new Hasidic partners to buckle their seatbelts illustrate his battered conscience.
The film also delves into gentrification, themes that become a sinister underbelly. Hank, a Midwestern gentrifier, inadvertently kills many native New Yorkers. Comparing his relationship to New York City with that of the film’s Hasidic, Puerto Rican and Black characters, it’s never clear if Hank loves the city or just its distractions. There’s a lack of accountability for his actions and the communities he affects throughout “Caught Stealing.” But Hank doesn’t go through trials and tribulations because he’s a gentrifier — he does so because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The movie understands this, but wants to insinuate something deeper without doing any of the work.
Aside from its half-baked commentary on the New York City transplant dynamic, “Caught Stealing” earns every second it plays on the big screen. It’s chock-full of great performances, economical editing and inspired shots against a familiar backdrop. Watch it on your in-flight TV in a couple of months if you’re looking for a good time. No alcohol required.
Contact the Don Ahmad at [email protected].