Wild, gritty and witty, Caught Stealing is one of the best action-thrillers of the year. While there are a few flaws, particularly in the emotions attached to each violent episode Hank endures, Aronofsky’s film is a masterclass in high-octane thrills.
Some films slip under the radar when they should have struck gold, and Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing, based on the book by Charlie Huston, is one of those films. This is a movie that, in theory, should have had people queuing around the block for a cinema seat; after all, you have a chisled Austin Butler in the starring role, a fabulous ensemble led by Regina King, Matt Smith as an ageing British punk rocker with a foul mouth, and a nippy cat, and a killer screenplay from Huston himself. Yet for some strange reason, it’s likely Caught Stealing will find its audience on streaming platforms rather than in an auditorium.
Austin Butler is Hank, a former baseball star and high-functioning alcoholic bartender who lives in a rundown New York apartment block. Hank’s been running from his past for years, a truth his casual girlfriend, Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz), a New York paramedic, knows only too well. However, life has a strange way of throwing us curveballs when we least expect it, and for Hank, that curveball is about to come from his dodgy British punk rocker neighbour, Russ, when he asks Hank to look after his cat. Explaining to Hank that he needs to travel to London to visit his dying dad, Russ (a whirlwind of energy, swearwords, and anarchy) dumps the cat with Hank and legs it.
Unbeknownst to Hank, the cat’s litter tray hides a deadly secret, one that a Russian mob and two Hebrew assassin brothers are hunting for. One thing’s for sure, Hank’s day, week and year are about to get violent!
Wild, gritty and witty, Caught Stealing is one of the best action-thrillers of the year. While there are a few flaws, particularly in the emotions attached to each violent episode Hank endures, Aronofsky’s film is a masterclass in high-octane thrills. From the first scene to the last, Caught Stealing’s sublime performances, especially those of Smith, King, Kravitz and Butler, hold our attention as the knotty, violent tale unfolds with a killer swing. So, buckle up, folks, because you’re in for one hell of a ride.
Caught Stealing – Stream It now on all major digital platforms.
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