Caught Stealing
I got catfished by Austin Butler’s new movie.
If you’re familiar with Darren Aronofsky's previous work (Mother, Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream etc.) then perhaps you wouldn’t have been. Congratulations… Unfortunately, I am situated firmly in the Guy Ritchie camp of what defines an action comedy, and while the trailer for Caught Stealing seemed to promise this, it didn’t deliver.
Austin Butler plays an alcoholic bartender. He’s that guy who stagnates in life and drowns his sorrows because if it weren’t for that knee injury in high school, he would’ve gone pro with baseball. I’m oversimplifying here. Said injury was sustained in a much more complex, traumatic, and plot-integral way. It informs much of the character and ties into an explosive ending. However, Hank Thompson still seems like a fairly unlikeable character by the end of the movie. This is a compliment to Austin Butler, who I think gives one of the best performances I’ve seen from him. Don’t come for me when I say this, but I didn’t love him as Elvis. He felt like a caricature (and that’s coming from a diehard Baz Luhrmann stan), and in contrast, his portrayal of Hank was so compelling! I was truly impressed with Austin Butler and kept thinking that my boy had come such a long way since The Carrie Diaries and The Shannara Chronicles.
Hank is a bit of a dropkick, selfish and absorbed in his own misery. Zoë Kravitz plays his love interest, a stunning, tenacious, and competent paramedic, who is lowered in my esteem when she asks the aforementioned alcoholic bartender if he’d like to get serious (he can’t even consistently restock his own toothpaste). The plot begins when Hank agrees to look after the cat of his delinquent neighbour, Russ (Matt Smith). This lands Hank and his acquaintances in hot water because the association with Russ draws the attention of cops and nasty gangsters. So ensues chaos…
While I empathised with Hank’s extremely unfortunate lot in this film, I didn’t like or wholeheartedly root for him because I wasn’t sure how to ultimately relate to the plot or characters. Predominantly, because I was having a hard time judging whether I was watching a comedy or drama. If you asked me whether I would want to orbit the worlds of Henry Cavill or Theo James in the Guy Ritchie-sphere, I would say absolutely. Send me undercover in cute outfits like Alicia Vikander. Or let me be a chic mob boss like Kaya Scodelario. Everyone is hot. The aesthetics are aesthetic-ing. Each line is delivered like a musical composition. The soundtrack is banging. And everything feels like a good time, even though objectively I know it’s a narrative about murder, drug dealing, corruption, and crime.
Would I want to coexist with Austin Butler as Hank in the world of Caught Stealing? Absolutely not. The late 90s New York setting is realistically gritty and grimy. Harm continuously befalls Hank. It was graphic and violent but I couldn’t commit myself to him or invest in his success. Without the acceptance of the film’s darkness or an understanding of when to expect comedic reprieve, I couldn’t look too closely and see him repeatedly kicked while he was down. A thread of hopelessness persists throughout the film as each devastating scene unfolds after the next, contending with sporadic elements of comedy. Austin Butler is joined by a feline companion, which would inevitably inject some humour into the crime thriller, but also the cat gets injured by the gangsters which again mitigates that levity. Bad Bunny makes a cameo, which feels inherently funny. And Matt Smith’s character is comical. But each intense plot turn was like deflating a balloon. I guess I was in flux throughout most of this movie because I was waiting for the film to give itself over to one side or the other. Commit to being a darker crime thriller or a comedy. And it didn’t really.
Which is fine. But that’s not what the trailer portrayed. This does leave a slight sour taste in my mouth. Those who know me well know that I have thoughts and opinions about the marketing palaver that was the It Ends With Us book and movie. Accurate categorisation and marketing of media are important for trust between the consumer and producer, and it equips us to consciously invest our time, money, and energy in the content we want. While I DNF’d (did not finish) It Ends With Us, I actually think Caught Stealing was a great movie. I would just advise that if you’re anything like me, adjust your expectations.
Yes, there are comedic moments. But this is a (very) dark comedy. Hank is effectively completely isolated throughout this story. His allies and enemies are consistently inconsistent. It left me sympathetic to the character, who was having the worst time of his life, and extremely anxious for him. For me, it also meant that the characters were either outright unlikeable, or relatively inconsequential, because they weren’t on screen long enough for me to form a meaningful attachment to. The only thing I could cling or anchor to was the consistently negative outcomes. The film seemed to offer biting insight into the dark, ugly, and heartbreaking reality of life, relationships, and crime, with levity facilitated by absurdism. I would liken the film to Trainspotting, a phenomenal production with exceptional acting. It’s confronting, and if that sounds like your thing, then book your tickets now.
No catfishing!
Just the cat.
