Director Darren Aronofsky has made a few stinkers (Noah, The Whale) but I will always respect him highly because of two masterpieces – Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler.  Both were the #1 movie on my annual top 10 list in their respective years of release.  Caught Stealing won’t achieve such lofty heights but it’s still an above-average, “return to form” for Aronofsky.  He’s guided by a twisty screenplay from Charlie Huston who is adapting his own novel, first published 20 years ago.

Set in New York City in the year 1998 (they go overboard with the Twin Towers imagery), the film is centred on an alcoholic bartender, Hank (Butler), who is going nowhere in life.  He was once a baseball prodigy touted for the big leagues but after his knee was wrecked in a nasty car accident, those dreams were torched.  He now lives alone in a shabby apartment which contains more liquors bottles than food items.  The only person steering him in the right direction is Yvonne (Kravitz), an on-again, off-again love interest who works as a paramedic.

Everything flips upside down when Hank is dragged into a world of gangsters and drug dealers.  His British next-door neighbour goes overseas, he’s asked to care for a snarky cat, and it sets in motion a series of events that leave him fighting for survival.  Hank is not a traditional hero with an arsenal of weapons and battle skills.  When we beaten to a blood pulp in the opening act, we see Hank more as an “ordinary guy” who is in waaaaaay over his head.

This serves the film perfectly.  Hank doesn’t want trouble but the more he tries to escape it, the more it finds him.  There are also several subplots that, without revealing spoilers, spin the narrative in unexpected directions.  One could draw comparisons with Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie given the blend of violence, comedy and crime… but this is sufficiently different.  I like a protagonist with vulnerability and Oscar nominee Austin Butler (Elvis) is terrific in the lead role.  You have a clear sense of the physical and emotional pain his likeable character endures.

With Regina King and Zoë Kravitz adding further interest with their supporting performances, Caught Stealing entertains in many ways.