Perhaps a mostly unlikely candidate in the Darren Aronofsky oeuvre, Caught Stealing is a scrappy, loud neo-noir crime flick that although may not be a home run, is good enough to reach third on a wild pitch. 

 

Adapted from the Charlie Huston book of the same name (Huston delivers the screenplay, too), Austin Butler adds to his growing resume of note by playing Hank, a former phenom ball player now NYC-dive bartender at Paul’s Bar (with an unrecognizable Griffin Dunne). Hank loves - in order - the Giants, his mom, and (possibly) his girlfriend Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz). He doesn’t necessarily love cats but when his next door neighbor Russ (a mohawk-wearing Matt Smith) suddenly flees back home to London, Hank is left holding the kitty litter. 

 

And also, as dictated by the plot, a somewhat hidden key.

 

Unbeknownst to Hank, Russ is wanted by some unsavory criminal elements. Russian mobsters. A crooked cop (Regina King). Hasidic gangsters (Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio wonderfully hamming it up). And a Puerto Rican bad guy played over-the-top by Bad Bunny, who most definitely does not get enough screentime. They soon all converge on Hank with murderous intent in their eyes and greed in their pocket for what that key unlocks. Hank is forced to go on the run, with Bud the cat in tow.

 

Aronofsky, along with Black Swan cinematographer Matthew Libatique, give the New York setting an impressive, late 20th-century look. Graffiti and band stickers tag every available surface and both pay phones and parking are always available. 

 

Whereas plot and setting might be more akin to a Steven Soderbergh production, Aronofsky embeds the entire film with a sense of unease. Blue and gray hues seep into every shot bringing a prevalent uneasy tension.  Not only is Hank in deep trouble, but the audience is clearly made aware that Caught Stealing is not a hip heist flick with one-liners and vodka gimlets. Here, shots of adrenaline are constantly administered not to keep up with the action, but to prevent mainlining on despair. 

 

Aronofsky is known for showing complex characters deep in distress. Pi, The Wrestler, and the aforementioned Black Swan are all exercises in control: both the losing of and attempts in recapturing it. Caught Stealing might be wearing a different jersey but plays in the same ballpark. In Hank’s case, though, he continually falls further and further away from such power. Instead of delivering these themes in the form of rough drama, Caught Stealing is a crime thriller that tumbles through several genres but ends up safe at home. 

 

Aronofsky and Butler provide a satisfyingly enjoyable thriller that presses on the constant reminder to always wear your seatbelts.