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.

‘Caught Stealing’ is the latest film from Darren Aronofsky and it’s perhaps an interesting choice for a director who hasn’t really made a film like this before across his 25+ year career. It is a crime thriller with a comedic edge, centering on a bartender who finds himself unintentionally caught up in the schemes of a series of New York city criminals after his drug dealing neighbour runs off at short notice. Austin Butler stars in the leading role as Henry ‘Hank’ Thompson, a former baseball player who is now a bartender with an alcohol problem, alongside Zoë Kravitz as his girlfriend Yvonne, with an impressive supporting cast including Regina King, Matt Smith, Live Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio.

The film begins in earnest when Hank returns home with Yvonne and finds his British neighbour Russ (Matt Smith) in a panic, as he’s just found out his dad is dying in a hospital back in the United Kingdom. Russ leaves Hank with his cat Bud (the real star of the show) and takes off, but it’s not long before some Eastern European heavies come calling for something that Russ has left behind, with Hank ending up getting beaten to a pulp as unfortunate collateral damage. As the closest link to Russ, Hank becomes tracked by the heavies, some other criminals and a cop (Regina King), who all want to establish what has happened, putting Hank in a desperate situation as he tries to protect himself and those he loves.

This is an odd film to assess because there is a lot to like about, from the soundtrack by British punk band Idles to the frenetic plotting that barely wastes a minute. I also liked a lot of the supporting cast, Kravitz especially, and kudos to the casting of Griffin Dunne as Hank’s bar manager, a bit of serendipity for me having watched a much younger Dunne in Martin Scorsese’s ‘After Hours’ over the weekend for the first time! It is funny and I liked the 1990s setting, which fitted well with the grungier soundtrack. Austin Butler is fine in the leading role, but only fine, and I didn’t find him to be the most compelling lead, albeit I seem to be in the minority as he’s got a lot of praise elsewhere. This probably reads as more positive than I ultimately felt coming away from it.

‘Caught Stealing’ is an entertaining thriller with a solid cast, good directing and a plot that holds your attention, and I did enjoy it.

Rating: 3/5

Directed By: Darren Aronofsky

Starring: Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Benito Martínez Ocasio, Griffin Dunne and Carol Kane

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1493274/