Austin Butler (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Dune: Part Two, Eddington) remains at the top of his game as Henry “Hank” Thompson with producer Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Black Swan, Mother!, The Whale) at the helm. Arnofosky and cinematographer Matthew Libatique (Pi, Phone Booth, Black Swan, Mother!, The Whale, Highest 2 Lowest) create a dozy and alluring portrait of 1998 New York City.
With a huge influence from Martin Scorsese’s After Hours, Hank is asked to perform a simple task: watch his neighbor’s cat. Similar to Paul Hackett in that film, who simply wants to just get home, Caught Stealing throws Hank into the wildest moments of his life, for better or worse.
The Weirdest Chance at Redemption
Once again, Butler displays all his chops for Caught Stealing, in one of his best recent roles. Hank is down on his luck and seemingly avoids life. His “kind of” girlfriend, Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz), isn’t too sure of what they have. Although, he is fairly chill about the entire ordeal. When his neighbor, Russ Binder (Matt Smith), must return to London for personal reasons, he asks Hank to watch his cat, with Hank completely ill-prepared for the proceeding events.
Despite being an R-rated film, there is just a singular love scene, which Aronofsky directs with extreme class. Libatique’s camera is static almost entirely before and during the act. Together, the director and the cinematographer slowly push in on Butler and Kravitz during a rather peaceful, quaint scene, when the ensuing chaos arrives. The next morning, the sense that Hank is burdened with becomes clear. He was a baseball phenomenon in high school with a huge draft stock, but something happened. A car accident is revealed through dream sequences, to a fairly good effect. His guilt and shame are buried inside, but are on display by giving up and becoming stagnant.
The film continually reminds us of how stuck Hank feels, both physically and emotionally. Upon telling Yvonne that he’ll call her later, she responds simply, “You’ve got my number.” There comes a time when—sometimes unfortunately—you have just got to face the goddamned music. And it sucks, sometimes deeply. There’s not necessarily any wrong or right time for fate to catch up with you and make you think long and hard about every stupid and fucked up decision one’s made up to that point. That’s all Hank does. Writer Charlie Huston’s adapted screenplay is so subtly funny and remains complete. The car accident left Hank without baseball. Now, he’s a borderline alcoholic bartender waiting for something to happen.
Caught Stealing‘s Conflict
After Yvonne leaves Hank’s apartment, several random characters attempt to break into Russ’s apartment. Hank learns quickly how dangerous they can be after being put in the hospital for two days, leaving with one less kidney. The chaos appears random from beat to beat.
There’s a hilariously random moment when Lipa Drucker (Liev Schreiber) is chasing Hank and gets clipped by a bike messenger. While present in a trailer, this moment is better with context. Lipa doesn’t hesitate to retaliate with a quick punch to the face and throat. It’s a comedic break in the chaos, but it reminds us how violent a mask can be, as you’d probably never witness an actual rabbi do that, funny as it was. Furthermore, it’s a contradiction of the character and life, which makes the film so good. (And why we love the art form so much). Life is a series of contradictions, and that’s okay.
Aronofsky gives Butler his own Tom Cruise moment in Caught Stealing as well. As Hank runs from Lipa and his brother Shmully (Vincent D’Onofrio), the director follows Butler through everything. Butler runs with ease, and the tension expertly builds as Hank is cornered. The character very much thinks on his feet and doesn’t necessarily consider another outcome. By the film’s third act, Hank finally accepts it all and seems to figure out the best way out of his problem. Russ is a drug dealer with enough money for other big players, and for him to even win for once, just maybe.
An Almost Too Relatable Arc
By the time Hank finally decides to truly fight, one of those chasing him, Pavel (Nikita Kukushkin), is easily subdued. It’s a simple one-two punch. Yet, Hank executes it so well, and the audience really wants him to win at this point. Even surprising himself, Hank begins to truly find his remaining potential. Everyone watching can relate to this struggle, as well as the uncertainty that can creep in, somehow, sometimes working its way down to your very bones. Most times, the only way is up.
While Yvonne didn’t necessarily see it, Hank finally “handles his shit,” just like she wanted. Eventually, we all must, whether you want to or not. The film’s ending doesn’t feel all that resolved either, which is probably better off than truly resolved in totality. Usually, we get just what we deserve. Maybe Hank didn’t need to get to a golden beach with clear blue water, but ultimately, life is a strange and fickle thing. We must persevere.
Technical Elements
Caught Stealing is truly one of Aronofsky’s most grounded films. He simply has fun here while telling a great story. Huston’s screenplay, based on his own novel, is one of the better recent paranoia thrillers today. There are other references to films of this caliber, as well. Yvonne’s job as a paramedic felt like a slight nod to another underrated Scorsese gem, Bringing Out the Dead, with Nicolas Cage playing a Travis Bickel-esque paramedic in ’90s New York. Griffin Dunne plays Paul, the owner of Paul’s Bar, in another nod to After Hours. The Safdie brothers and Ronald Bronstein’s Uncut Gems also comes to mind due to the sheer chaos and randomness of this moment in Hank’s mundane life.
Libatique’s cinematography remains greatly lit, as he and Aronofsky mesh together to make the chaos look poetic. The few oners within the film are fun, and the camera is really only moving when it must. The continuous close-ups throughout make the characters feel more relatable. Next to that, music composer Rob Simonsen’s (The Way Back, The Whale) score jives with the tone of the film, and it’s never really overbearing. Meanwhile, the incorporation of the post-punk band the Idles greatly juxtaposes with the chaos of the plot.
Final Thoughts on Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing
Even if you’d like to, avoiding your problems or whatever is down inside won’t work forever. Caught Stealing forces Hank to confront who he was and to figure his shit out. Seemingly a metaphor for life, Aronofsky simply glides through the film. His film is easily one of the most stylish ones this year, and Butler is at his strongest yet as a current leading man. Moreover, you gotta handle your shit, because if you don’t, eventually life catches up with you.
4.5/5 stars
Darren Aronofsky and Charlie Huston’s Caught Stealing is now playing in theatres!
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