In Darren Aronofsky’s “Caught Stealing”, maybe the “Black Swan” and “mom!” filmmaker’s most business outing, Austin Butler spends practically two hours getting absolutely the hell crushed out of him. Watching the “Dune: Half Two” and “Elvis” star ditch the raspy voice, and outsized swagger is a refreshing change of tempo, each for the actor and for Aronofsky, whose final movie, “The Whale”, didn’t precisely carry audiences collectively.
“Caught Stealing” is a scrappy, late-’90s-style caper during which Butler performs Hank Thompson, a washed-up former baseball phenom turned bartender who finds himself caught in the midst of a turf conflict between Russian mobsters and Orthodox Jewish gangsters. Set in 1998, with Aronofsky working from Charlie Huston’s adaptation of his personal novel, the movie faucets into the director’s New York roots, evoking a gritty, lived-in vitality filled with borough affection. The film is messy at instances, veering between stunning violence and overly tidy resolutions, but it surely comes alive via its eclectic solid and the sheer punishment inflicted on Butler’s battered, bruised lead.
Hank is launched as a San Francisco Giants diehard who calls his mother to speak via the season and bartends on the facet. His troubles start when his neighbor Russ (a punk rocker Matt Smith having a blast) heads to London for a household emergency, leaving Hank to cat-sit. Not lengthy after, a pair of Russian goons (Yuri Kolokolnikov and Nikita Kukushkin) present up, mistaking Hank for another person and leaving him with a ruptured kidney. It’s a brutal beatdown that units the tone for a narrative that tries to stability pulpy crime grit with flashes of Aronofsky’s extra introspective tendencies. Flashbacks reveal Hank’s tragic backstory: a drunk-driving accident that wrecked his knee, killed his finest pal, and ended his shot on the majors.
Because the plot thickens, Hank will get caught between extra harmful gamers: a dogged police detective (Regina King), the Russians’ flamboyant boss (a recreation Dangerous Bunny), and a pair of relentless Orthodox brothers (Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio, each menacing to the bone). Everybody desires one thing from Hank, and each encounter leaves him extra battered, elevating the query of whether or not he can really survive this meat grinder of a world.
It’s frankly stunning to see Aronofsky’s title on one thing this outwardly simple. The provocateur of “Requiem for a Dream” opts right here for a extra accessible style train. Not like Ron Howard’s latest island misfire “Eden,” which felt totally indifferent from its characters, “Caught Stealing” has a real affection for the crime thrillers of the ’90s. Aronofsky peppers the movie with interval element: Twin Towers skyline photographs, Shea Stadium glimpses, Kim’s Video storefronts, even throwaway jokes about burning via cellphone minutes. The humor is sporadic, and the movie may’ve used extra of it to stability the carnage, however the world-building provides texture.
What makes “Caught Stealing” notable is that it isn’t angling for awards-season glory. It’s Aronofsky making an attempt his hand at a straight-ahead style programmer, the sort of mid-budget, studio-backed crime drama that was once widespread however now feels practically extinct. It doesn’t fairly knock it out of the park, however its bruised sincerity, sense of place, and sure, affection for cats, give it a scruffy appeal. It is a strong three-star effort, the sort of film studios used to crank out only for enjoyable. Lately, they’re an endangered species.
CAUGHT STEALING is now taking part in in theaters.