Caught Stealing is packed full of fast cars, sex, money, nail-biting fight scenes, and a dash of 90’s nostalgia. Charlie Huston, the author of the book by the same name, and director Darren Aronofsky take you on a gnarly ride in the Lower East Side burrow of New York, 1998. With Charlie’s action-packed thrills and prose found in his novel and comic book writing spilling over onto the screen, you’d better buckle up, pack a spare pair of underwear, and maybe lay off the drinking for one night.
Hank (Austen Butler) , an easy-going bartender with a dark past, returns home after work one night to find his neighbor, Russ (Matt Smith) ditching his cat with him for a few days to pet-sit. Yvonne (Zoe Kravitz) encourages Hank to take on the task, and he begrudgingly agrees to watch the cat. What seems like a small, harmless favor turns into something far more complicated and dangerous than anyone would anticipate. Hank quickly learns that his neighbor is keeping secrets, secrets that are so dangerous they landed him in the hospital for not knowing anything about them. In the pursuit of trying to understand what is going on, Hank finds himself caught up in a criminal charade.
Quick to catch on, Hank’s survival mode locks in and he begins to “play along” when he discovers a clue hidden in the cat’s litter box. Hank spends the next few days on the run, cat in tow, forced into fist fights, bar shootouts, dealing with questionable cops, foreign gang fights, and caught in multiple hostage situations. Except for a wicked bowl of matzo ball soup, there is no rest in sight and Hank cannot trust anyone! I can only tell you so much about the plot before I absolutely spoil it for you. This film has so many twists and turns, you may wonder how you’ll get out alive.
Caught Stealing is quite diverse and makes an effort to genuinely reflect the eclectic people of New York. With Russian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Indigenous, West Asian, Black and Hispanic characters, this film is not lacking diversity. We are graced with three women in the whole main story line, two of which are women of color. Zoe Kravitz, who plays Hank’s beautiful and loyal love interest, and Regina King, who plays the detective. One Indigenous actor, D’pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, has a short lived, but significant, role playing Hank’s close friend from his life before being a bartender. An Indian character, played by Deepti Menon, at the bar has a moment on screen and an even more fleeting moment of an LGBTQ+ character at the bar Hank works at. Two Russian characters are played by Yuri Kolokolnikov and Anton Kukushkin. Bad Bunny, or Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, plays one of the gang members as well. Later in the film we are introduced to one other woman, Carol Kane, who plays a Jewish Bubbe with the delicious matzo ball soup. Without such diversity, it would be hard to convince anyone the story is even set in New York. While thoroughly diverse, is it just a coincidence that all the BIPOC characters have minimal screen time, minimal speaking roles, are untrustworthy or villainous, or don’t survive till the end? Having a diverse cast, or story, while also “killing them off” or making them unlikable is the same vibe as “I have a black friend”, or “I know someone that’s gay” as an excuse to not take accountability.
Is Caught Stealing worth the watch? With all the easily marketable grabs of sex, action, thrill, high speed car chases, mystery, and the desire for the underdog to win, the film has a lot to offer. Will I personally watch it again? After watching the film, while not disappointed, I was left unsatisfied. I can’t imagine myself popping it on to relive the story and the feelings it evokes. Perhaps if it were airing on television at my hotel while I travel, or a friend had it on when I visited, I wouldn’t throw a fit. With how sensational the climax was, I wish the end had more satiating “after care” for me as a viewer. This isn’t to deter you from enjoying the film yourself! This film displays that Charlie Huston and Darren Aronofsky are definitely skilled in their craft. There’s just something missing. I am curious what you think. See the film for yourself and tell me: could things have worked out differently for Hank?
Happy Spoiler: Bud, the cat played by Tonic, survives.
Comments