For those who thought they had Darren Aronofsky’s films sussed out, they will not know what hit them with Caught Stealing. This over-the-top nineties period piece is wild and crazy in a most fun manner. Those are words not often attached to his work, but after a long and illustrious filmography of very assertive works, we can forgive him for just wanting to have a little fun.
Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) is just a dude tasked with looking after his neighbour’s cat, Bud. Said resident, Russ (Doctor Who’s Matt Smith), is a mohawked punk rocker who has to travel back to England to visit his ailing father. Hank is completely unprepared for the shite show that is coming his way from this bit of neighbourly assistance.
Thrown into a world inhabited by crazy Russian Mobsters, coke-snorting barkeeps and two absolutely bonkers Hasidic brothers, Lipa and Shmully Drucker, who are played by an almost unrecognisable Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio. These two turn Hank’s world upside down. The bros are absolute sociopaths and believe in a scorched-earth policy when it comes to conflict resolution.
Based on a book of the same name by Charlie Huston, Caught Stealing is set in a time frame that reflects a pivotal time in Aronofsky’s life. It’s less than hyper realistic in contrast to most of his earlier work, and the absurdest sense of humour on display might hint that he has some fond memories of that time. Taken in the context of his collected works, it’s a welcome side step.
Rob Hudson
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