Like a pitcher unaware of the runner swiping second base, Caught Stealing catches you flat-footed that it’s by Darren Aronofsky. It doesn’t look like a movie from the guy who gave us Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, and other uniquely artistic endeavors. But then when you really settle into this surprisingly accessible thriller, you see many of Aronofsky’s trademarks pop up when you least expect them. While this is a bit grittier and more propulsive than his typical work, it’s still an Aronofsky movie, examining the lengths a desperate ex-baseball prodigy will go to live long enough to see his beloved San Francisco Giants win the pennant.
Caught Stealing is based on the crime novel by author (and former Marvel Comics writer) Charlie Huston, who also penned the screenplay. So it sticks pretty close to the source material, which is set in 1998 New York City. Austin Butler, looking lean, plays Hank, a bartender and former baseball star who was set for the Major Leagues before a tragic accident took it all away. Life is hard, but he’s still a good ol’ boy who loves his Giants, loves his momma who he talks to on the phone every day, and he even loves Yvonne, the wise and tough paramedic played by Zoe Kravitz. If anything, Yvonne offers him the chance at happiness he thought long gone. But then his world is turned upside down by his punk rock pal Russ, played by a very mohawked Matt Smith, who leaves for the UK and sticks Hank with his cat, Bud (Do we give Oscars for pets yet? It’s time.), but also an item that a lot of very bad people want…and they come looking.
The colorful villains that keep popping up in Caught Stealing give you the impression it’s a comedy, and while there are some moments of dark humor, this is also a really savage flick where nobody is safe! A pair of bald Russian goons, Aleksei and Pavel (Yuri Kolokolnikov and Nikita Kukushkin) beat Hank savagely and, while in most movies the hero bounces back no prob, that ain’t happening here. Hank is given an injury he won’t ever recover from, and tests his ability to not be self-destructive. There’s also gun-toting boss man Colorado, played by rapper/wrestler Bad Bunny, and no-bullshit detective Roman played by Regina King. Wildest of all are Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio as Lipa and Shmully, a monstrous pair of Orthodox assassins who are very serious about observing Shabbos and enjoying momma’s mahtza ball soup.
Hank spends most of the movie getting beat up, drinking, running away, and attempting to keep poor Bud alive. And I’ll say this, if you have a thing about seeing animals, particularly cats, getting hurt…you’ll want to cover your eyes. Not that we see any of the violence done to the feline, its reaction to the pain is just as tough. Hank’s predicament sets up a classic Aronofsky redemptive story arc, where he confronts the guilt he’s been carrying for years while trying to stay alive and doing the right thing. That the film manages to be such an insightful examination and keep its momentum going at such a pace is a credit to Aronofsky and the film’s editors, who do a bang-up job. Clearly drawing vibes from Martin Scorsese’s Manhattan neo-noir After Hours, the film features a small role from that film’s star, Griffin Dunne, playing a character with the same name, suggesting that maybe Caught Stealing exists in the same frenetic universe.
It’s also one Hell of a role for Butler. We’ve never seen him in a role quite like this before. It’s an intensely physical role, and he looks like someone who could’ve played pro baseball at some point. He’s quick, strong, sinewy, and a lot of the action has him mimicking moves he would’ve used on the ballfield. The surrounding cast around him is uniformly excellent even though their roles might be tiny. D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Carole Kane, Action Bronson, Will Brill, and a blink and you’ll miss him cameo by Namor himself Tenoch Huerta flesh out a stellar ensemble.
The hope now is that Caught Stealing manages to stand out in the summer glut of multiplex-ready competition. In one sense, it looks like a mainstream crowd pleaser with the red-hot Butler in the spotlight. On the other hand, Aronofsky doesn’t typically do that sort of thing and audiences are savvy enough to know it. Here’s hoping curiosity wins out and people give Caught Stealing a shot because it’s the kind of home run thriller they don’t make any more. It’s violent, funny, and shockingly real, a throwback to when movies like this were everywhere and we didn’t appreciate them. Let’s appreciate this one while it’s here.
Caught Stealing is in theaters now from Sony Pictures.
