Caught Stealing
review by Bobby Blakey
Director Darren Aronofsky has an impressive filmography with films including The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream, , Black Swan, Mother! and The Whale. His latest film Caught Stealing brings together an impressive cast including Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D'Onofrio, Griffin Dunne, Benito Martínez Ocasio, and Carol Kane. Could this latest film be yet another impressive notch in his filmography or will it not be worth the violent chase we are taking?
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Caught Stealing follows Hank Thompson who was a high-school baseball phenom who can’t play anymore, but everything else is going okay. He’s got a great girl, tends bar at a New York dive, and his favorite team is making an underdog run at the pennant. When his punk-rock neighbor Russ asks him to take care of his cat for a few days, Hank suddenly finds himself caught in the middle of a motley crew of threatening gangsters. They all want a piece of him; the problem is he has no idea why. As Hank attempts to evade their ever-tightening grip, he’s got to use all his hustle to stay alive long enough to find out…
I am a huge fan of Aronofsky’s films but would be lying if I said I wasn’t tired of seeing this trailer nonstop over the last few months. Thankfully the film is worth the hype and delivers on all fronts to make it worth the trailer overload. This is a more grounded film than we have gotten from him in some time in the best way possible. It’s insane, funny, violent and an all-around great time in chaos.
Th cast are all great with Butler perfectly leading the charge. He brings that
James Dean swag with the old school Bruce Willis everyman down on his luck vibe that just works. Kravitz brings the heart and grounded nature amidst the craziness to balance out his struggles. The various characters he is facing off against are unique and familiar with the crazed duo of Jewish assassins played by D’Onofrio and Schreiber stealing every scene they are in. I wish we had gotten even more from them, but what we get kicks butt.
The story is simple but still has some decent layers and twists to keep you invested throughout the violence. Initially it seems to be more of a love story before things kick into high gear and it hits the ground running non-stop until the end. It keeps you engaged and entertained from beginning to end with a little of everything you need. This is an easy favorite of mine this year and hope it finds the audience it deserves.
In addition to the film this release offers bonus content including numerous featurettes taking audiences behind bringing this film to life. Hit the ground running and grab your copy of Caught Stealing available now on digital and then on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on November 11th from Sony Home Entertainment.