from the series Movie Corner…
3 1/2 Stars out of 5
Dark Comedy/Drama/Psychological Thriller
By HOWARD MCQUITTER II
When I went to Darren Aronofsky’s film Caught Stealing, I went blindly without reading any of the critics’ reviews. I thought why not? I love Requiem for a Dream (2000), Black Swan (2010) and I give The Wrestler (2008) and The Whale (2022) high marks.
However, Caught Stealing isn’t much like his other films. It’s sort of a goof ball caper that nobody in their right mind would want to be caught up in. The lame duck is Hank Thompson, an aspiring baseball player heading for the major leagues until years ago he was involved in a serious car accident, leaving him with a knee injury which disqualified him from professional play. Nonetheless, Hank roots for his hometown San Francisco Giants. Hank works as a bartender at a local bar. His girlfriend Yvonne comes by his job after her late shift as a paramedic.
While Hank is at home he gets unwanted “guests” at his door from a couple of Russian mobsters looking for his friend and neighbor Mohawked Russ. Unfortunately, Hank takes the brunt of the mobsters’ blows. Hank has another serious problem in that he faces Shmully and Lipa, two Orthodox Jewish brothers who carry automatic weapons and kill when “necessary”. Hank meets Elisa Roman, a police detective, who thinks he’s hiding something. The key to the problems in front of the characters is something very small in size and “insignificant”.
Cast: Austin Butler (Hank Thompson), Zoe Kravitz (Yvonne), Matt Smith (Russ), Regina King (Elisa Roman), Griffin Dunn (Paul), George Abud (Duane), Dominique Silver (Lisa), Action Bronson (Amtrak).
Director: Darren Aronofsky.
Screenwriter: Charlie Huston.
Original Music: Rob Simonsen.
Cinematography: Matthew Libatique.
Running time: 107 minutes.
HOWARD MCQUITTER II is a longtime movie critic. He has been reviewing movies for the alley since 2002.
