Caught Stealing takes a wild and murderous experience by way of late ’90s New York Metropolis as a former baseball participant pays a steep value for cat-sitting. Acclaimed crime novelist Charlie Huston adapts his first “Henry Thompson” novel for the massive display, with Darren Aronofsky behind the digital camera and Austin Butler because the hapless protagonist. Butler’s position right here is just about to function a human punching bag whereas a solid of Hollywood stalwarts chew up the display in actually distinct supporting roles. There is no scarcity of bloody and entertaining twists, however the narrative fails the logic take a look at with important plot holes and utterly implausible reactions to harrowing violence. That being stated, Aronofsky does achieve capturing a novel time interval and setting earlier than America’s best skyline was endlessly modified.
The Twin Towers loom majestically over Manhattan’s Alphabet Metropolis neighborhood circa 1998, as Hank (Butler), the bartender at Paul’s Bar, yells final name to the drunken revelers. Hank, a former highschool baseball star who’s at all times carrying his San Francisco Giants baseball cap, pours a ultimate spherical whereas chiding inebriated Mets followers; he by no means misses a recreation, and likes to trash discuss the New York groups. Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz), Hank’s paramedic girlfriend, arrives simply in time for a late-night hook-up. They race up his condo’s staircase to get right down to enterprise, however are interrupted as Hank’s punk neighbor Russ (Matt Smith), resplendent with a Mohawk, tattoos and piercings, thrusts his cat in direction of Hank. His father’s sick in London, and he wants Hank to look at his not-so-friendly feline for just a few days.
The Perils of Cat-Sitting
Caught Stealing
3
/5
- Launch Date
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August 29, 2025
- Director
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Darren Aronofsky
- Writers
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charlie huston
- Producers
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Ari Handel, Jeremy Dawson
The subsequent morning, Yvonne kisses Hank goodbye. He is midway by way of breakfast when he hears heavy pounding on Russ’ door. The towering Aleksei (Yuri Kolokolnikov) and diminutive psychopath Pavel (Nikita Kukushkin) do not consider that Russ is gone; they’re in search of one thing vital, and beat the tar out of Hank for good measure. He wakes up just a few days later within the hospital with a anxious Yvonne at his aspect. Detective Elise Roman (Regina King) finds it troublesome to consider that Hank would not know something about Russ’ unlawful actions. He nonetheless would not have a clue what the Russians needed, and Elise warns him to be vigilant — Aleksei and Pavel are teddy bears in comparison with what comes subsequent. Orthodox Jewish gangsters Lipa (Liev Schreiber) and Shmully (Vincent D’Onofrio) are ruthless killers. Hank had higher discover this mysterious merchandise, or his subsequent journey can be to the morgue.
Caught Stealing establishes its main characters and setting earlier than shifting into the next gear for nonstop motion within the second act. By comparability, the setup is gradual, giving the viewers a peek into Hank’s psyche. He is pushed by a love for baseball, and the promising athletic profession that might have been. Flashbacks illuminate Hank’s darkish previous, however he is seemingly obtained a vivid future with Yvonne. They’re head over heels in love and at an inflection level: Do they pull again on the romantic reins or plunge deeper right into a steamy relationship? Hank has to choose, however that is exhausting to do when unforgiving criminals have him on their radar. What have been they in search of? Does he want leverage to guard himself?
Zoë Kravitz as Yvonne
This thorny query is smart, however Hank’s response to the primary butt-whooping would not. Hank affords himself like a sacrificial lamb devoid of self-preservation, returning dwelling with a slew of killers presumably ready on his doorstep. Hank’s nonetheless clueless — Russ is who they actually need. So why grow to be a pawn in a lethal recreation, when merely vanishing would have sufficed? Caught Stealing purposely portrays Hank as inept to stir the black-humor pot, however it’s unrealistic for him to not take protecting measures when coping with such cold-blooded villains. Every surprising flip is prefaced by him appearing foolishly, oblivious to the repercussions regardless of already having paid a heavy value.
Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, The Whale) stays true to kind with wonderful camerawork and slick motion choreography. He employs regular cam rigs, cranes, drones and flawless visible results to movie lengthy and frenetic chase scenes, and the town turns into a cinematic confederate as Hank runs throughout rooftops, by way of dingy alleys and seedy institutions. This atmosphere frames Hank’s selections about the place to cover or who to ask for assist. We additionally get a shotgun tour of the town earlier than the 9/11 terrorist assault and gentrification of the Decrease East Aspect in its aftermath. It appears to be like cool, and definitely evokes nostalgia for these of us who bear in mind the previous neighborhood. However Caught Stealing falls prey to type over substance underneath important evaluation.
Do not Deliver a Bat to a Gun Struggle
Butler’s respectable sufficient, working round and getting pummeled; a better, extra conscious Hank would have been extra reasonable. But it surely’s enjoyable watching greats like Smith, Schreiber and D’Onofrio ham it up with wacky characterizations — it is nearly as if Aronofsky is channeling his internal Man Ritchie, with a nod to Lock, Inventory and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and RocknRolla. The punk and Hasidim depictions are just like these in Ritchie’s work, however the outcomes aren’t humorous right here: The plot will get downright bleak by the tip, as tragedy deflates the comedy. Aronofsky would not fairly discover an total tonal steadiness, however Caught Stealing is fascinating and well-acted by the supporting ensemble.
Caught Stealing is a manufacturing of Columbia Photos and Protozoa Photos. It is going to be launched theatrically on August twenty ninth by Sony Photos.