Film Review: ‘Caught Stealing’ Enjoyably Has Darren Aronofsky Sending Austin Butler Throughout 90s New York City in a Gritty Crime Comedy

New York City has more personality than any other city in the world. New York back in the 90s especially had a grit and a vibe that was one of a kind. So, while it’s cliched to say NYC is a character of its own in a film, it’s impossible not to feel that way about it in Caught Stealing. The movie is a fun and very solid crime comedy on its own, but all of the best parts relate to the New York setting in some way. Whether Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Queens, the personality on display is off the charts.

Caught Stealing is easily the most mainstream work filmmaker Darren Aronofsky has ever attempted, though still with some real bits of personality intertwined. Aronofsky is delighting in the NYC of it all, especially when the action moves in the third act to Brighton Beach and Coney Island. Returning to the scene of Pi and Requiem for a Dream, the fun that he’s having is infectious, leading to the final section of the flick easily being the best.

As a teenager, Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) was a stud high school baseball player, about to be drafted. Then, an accident ended his career before it began, effectively ruining his life. Since then, he’s moved from California to the Lower East Side of New York in 1998, a far grittier places than his suburban upbringing. He bartends at a local watering hole, hooking up with paramedic Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz), appearing just shy of officially being a couple. One night, they return to his place to find his neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) leaving to be with his ill father in London. The British punk needs Hank to watch his cat Buddy for him, which he’s done before, albeit under duress. This time, he’ll really wish that he hadn’t.

No sooner does Russ leave than a pair of Russian gangsters come looking for him. When Hank isn’t helpful, they beat him to the point of hospitalization. That’s just the start of his problems, as he becomes entangled with the police through Detective Roman (Regina King), as well as the Russian mob and their cohorts. Plus, there’s the Hasidic brothers Lipa (Liev Schreiber) and Shmully (Vincent D’Onofrio), who appear innocent enough but carry the reputation as the most violent men in town. How Hank is involved with all of them, who is on who’s side, and the consequences of everyone’s actions are best left discovered, but while it’s silly and convoluted, it leads to several very entertaining set-pieces, whether during a Met game around Shea Stadium, or down Brighton Beach and into Coney Island.

Austin Butler is giving a real movie star performance, mixing charisma and intensity. Butler manages to make getting his ass kicked repeatedly seem charming. His chemistry with Zoë Kravitz is superb, to the point where you wish there was even more of them together. Kravitz is a spitfire here, more than holding her own opposite Butler. Matt Smith has a smaller role than you might expect, but he’s a riot, really leaning into some of the comedic elements of his character. The same goes for Vincent D’Onofrio and Liev Schreiber, who are parts of some of the funniest sections of the film. Regina King, on the other hand, is good, though somewhat underserved by the material. Supporting players include Bad Bunny, Griffin Dunne, Tenoch Huerta, Carol Kane, and more, including a cameo at the very end that’s as surprising as it is delightful to witness.

Director Darren Aronofsky is relishing the New York of it all here, which papers over how thin some of the script by Charlie Huston (adapting his own novel of the same name) is. That’s the main drawback here, in that Huston’s story is both silly and serious, without quite meshing as well as it should. One can argue that it should either be even lighter and have a few less upsetting deaths, or lean into the bleakness of it all a bit more. I loved the funnier elements, so I don’t necessarily want it to get darker, but it does feel like tonal whiplash at times. The thrill here is watching Aronofsky folic in NYC, armed with cinematography from frequent collaborator Matthew Libatique and a score once again from Rob Simonsen.

Caught Stealing is lesser Aronofsky in some ways, but that still means it’s incredibly well done. It’s also a proof of concept that he can just step in and direct the hell out of someone else’s mainstream material. He’s obviously still more of an indie darling, without question, but this opens up a ton more possibilities for him, which I think is rather exciting.

SCORE: ★★★