Carl Roberts 
“By trying to out-Tarantino Tarantino and Guy Ritchie, Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing is an enjoyable, if slightly half-baked action comedy.”
2 Russians, 2 Jews, and a Puerto Rican walk into a bar…No, that isn’t the start of a joke. That is one of the scenes in Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing. And it is pretty apt because the film is often hilariously funny. Things we know we really shouldn’t be laughing at become brilliantly humorous. This is one of those crime thriller-dramas that frequently has us gripped to our seats while also leaving us chuckling along the way. With a cast featuring Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Griffin Dunne, Bad Bunny, and Carol Kane, the film is a great piece of entertainment. The problem is, it isn’t quite as good or clever as it thinks it is.
PREMISE
Burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined.
THOUGHTS
Look, it isn’t that the film is bad because it’s anything but. It is well written, directed and acted throughout. We constantly find ourselves surprised at what the film contains, the violence, the nastiness and the comedy work well together. But it is a shock to see Aronofsky make a movie like this. He is, in all aspects, trying to out-Tarantino Quentin Tarantino and match Guy Ritchie. And that isn’t a good sign. What should be a unique and original crime comedy flick, we sometimes feel it is something we have seen before. From having Jewish people being the villains (slightly questionable in this day and age) to seeing the cast get thinned during proceedings, it comes across as a cross between Reservoir Dogs and Snatch.
However, just because the film feels familiar doesn’t mean to say it’s a poor man’s entertainment. The film, at times, soars higher than it deserves to. Comedic moments alleviate the tension, giving the audience some much-needed relief from the violence and bad language. And believe me, the foul language here will have Tarantino and Ritchie bursting with pride. We are not talking Martin Scorsese levels of foul language, but boy, do we come close. The vilest of terms flows frequently throughout, mostly from Matt Smith as Russ. Strangely, being English, I can hear this term without insult, though others will find it disgusting and offensive. By using it in a comedic context, the crudeness is diluted somewhat.
THE CAST
The cast delivers great performances throughout. Some more than others (you’ll understand why). Austin Butler as Henry “Hank” Thompson leads the film exceptionally well, reminding us of his talent and why he was nominated for an Oscar for Elvis. Hank has a tragic backstory that forms the backbone of the film for the most part. It is this backstory that keeps us invested in the character and has us cheering him on, hoping that he gets away with it by the end credits. Butler goes from scared bartender to rage-filled hero during the runtime. Zoë Kravitz as Yvonne, Regina King as Roman, Benito A MartÃnez Ocasio (Bad Bunny) as Colorado, and Yuri Kolokolnikov as Aleksei all get their time to shine in the spotlight, with Regina King getting most of the screentime amongst them. All are welcome and enjoyable in their roles throughout.
LIEV SCHREIBER AND VINCENT D’ONOFRIO
Liev Schreiber as Lipa and Vincent D’Onofrio as Shmully are incredibly madcap, scheming, quietly threatening, and completely brilliant as the two Jewish assassins. While Lipa is the more outspoken and threatening, Schmully is more softly spoken, quiet, but equally as frightening. Both actors breathe life into their roles with relish. Schreiber is always watchable and believable in his roles, and he doesn’t fail or disappoint here. D’Onofrio, maybe best known for his role as Wilson Fisk in the Daredevil series, is sublime here. Softly spoken, never really threatening, non-frightening on the surface, D’Onofrio is chilling in his role. We can see the violence bubbling just under his skin, ready to emerge at a moment’s notice. But both actors display a comedic side to their characters, making them two characters that will stick in our minds.
MATT SMITH
However, despite not being in the film for long periods, Matt Smith completely steals the movie from everyone with his portrayal of Russ. A British ex-pat, with a bad attitude, a foul mouth, and some serious mental deficiencies, Russ is the main comic relief here. Forcing Hank to take care of his cat while he flies back home to visit his ailing father, Russ returns in the middle of the mayhem. He is the catalyst for the events the film covers.
Matt Smith isn’t known as a comedic actor, despite delivering some great comedic scenes when he played Dr Who, but here, he gives us a comedic performance for the ages. It is he that we can’t help but fall in love with, even when he offers Hank up as a scapegoat for the scheme he has set in motion. Smith is totally hilarious in his role, effortlessly elevating the film every time he appears on screen.
WRITING AND DIRECTION
The screenplay, written by Charlie Huston and based on his own novel, is at times cuttingly sharp. Huston takes what he has written in novel form and effortlessly transfers it to the big screen. At times, bitingly funny, at others tragically sad and violent, his screenplay tells the story nicely. Again, though, we get the feeling that we have seen some of it all before. Having not read the novel, I can’t comment on whether the script is the same story as was on the written page. The influences and inspirations the author MAY have gotten from other writers shine through glaringly. However, Huston creates a climax that is both hilarious and gory, and gives the audience a big belly laugh near the end.
Darren Aronofsky’s direction is assured from the first frame to the last. The director brings his usual flair to something we wouldn’t expect him to be behind. With that in mind, the film looks glorious. The locations, set-ups, and colour palette on display here are without reproach. Aronofsky elicits brilliant performances from his cast from the very start, bringing each character to life with a visual flair that leaves us amazed. He handles the more dramatic, violent, and gory parts of the film with ease, giving the film a sheen that makes it stun and shine for the audience.
VERDICT
By trying to out-Tarantino Tarantino and Guy Ritchie, Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing is an enjoyable, if slightly half-baked, action comedy. It does what it needs to do to entertain the audience, delivering great entertainment by the bucketload. But by the same token, the film feels like it isn’t a weekend blockbuster. It doesn’t quite come across as a Friday night movie that audiences will flock to. If there’s any justice, the film will be a success, earning the box office coin that it deserves to. But, again, if it fizzles at the box office, we can understand why. That in itself isn’t fair to the film. It fully deserves to find an audience, to become a box office winner. Whether it does or not remains to be seen.
The film also deserves to be a hit due to a winning cameo from the legendary Carol Kane as Bubbe, the Jewish brothers relative who they are scared not to appease. The actress speaks only in Yiddish in her brief time in the film, lending a wonderfully authentic feeling to her scenes. There is a second, uncredited cameo during the end credits, which I will not reveal to you. Suffice to say, it left the audience I saw the film with with a winning smile on their faces.
That’s a good thing about the film. It plays well, providing us with quite a few laughs along the way to offset the tragedy, drama, violence, and gore on display. This won’t break the box office, but it deserves to be a success, despite its flaws. Caught Stealing, in more ways than one. The truth of the matter is that the film will enjoyably steal some of your time, but it is really Matt Smith who is Caught Stealing. In his case, the entire movie.
Caught Stealing will be in cinemas from Friday, courtesy of Sony Pictures.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
