Do you ever get that feeling of having a lukewarm, or even negative, response to a new TV show, new film, or new music trend while everyone else around you seems to love it and praise it endlessly? Don’t you hate that feeling? I hate when that happens to me. It feels like you’re the only person aware you’re on a sinking ship surrounded by people who aren’t paying attention. That’s how I felt recently after watching the new crime drama, "Caught Stealing."
American novelist Charlie Huston is mostly known as a comic book writer but has also written pulpy crime novels, and his 2004 crime novel Caught Stealing has been adapted into this new film. Charlie Huston is actually the screenwriter for this film adapting his own book for the silver screen.
Laid-back, sexy heartthrob Austin Butler ("Dune: Part Two," 2024) plays an aimless bartender named Hank in the grungy lower east side of New York City in 1998. After having sex with his part-time girlfriend (Zoe Kravitz, "The Batman," 2022) in an amazingly well-decorated apartment, Hank agrees to babysit his neighbor’s cat while the neighbor travels overseas. Russian gangsters start poking around the neighbor’s apartment, they beat up Hank, and they force him to find a hidden key from the absent neighbor which Hank knows nothing about.
All this violence and confusion pushes Hank into a treacherous fight for survival with a sneaky detective, a cat’s litter box, lots of booze, and some Hasidic Jewish thugs who love motza ball soup. "Caught Stealing" is a nostalgic throwback to dirty criminal thrillers of the 90s like "Leon: The Professional" (1994); "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" (1998); or "Fight Club" (1999).
It’s a roller coaster of shootouts, car crashes, baseball bats, broken bottles, and twists in trusted allies. So why did I finish this film thinking it was ordinary and boring? Lots of bodies pile up as Hank tries to outwit the bad guys. So why did I keep feeling I had seen too many films like this before?
I have not read the book this film is based on, so I can’t comment on its connection to the source material. All I can say is the screenplay lacks any originality, heart, or humor. Yes, it’s entertaining to see "Caught Stealing" as a nod to the punky lawless vibe of 90s pop culture. Does that mean this film has to recycle all the ideas from the 90s too?
Stone-faced line readings, implied male nudity, shouting matches full of swearing, suitcases full of cash, and heartfelt phone messages about baseball. So many of these story elements feel tired making me think this was just made to satisfy every traditionally masculine straight man in the country. And yes, just to be as thorough as possible in what traditionally masculine straight male viewers love, "Caught Stealing" has fully displayed female nudity, and the neighbor’s fluffy cat turns into Hank’s unsuspecting sidekick.
The screenplay tries to reveal itself with surprises along the one hour 47 minute run time as if it has deep psychological layers in the urban labyrinth of goons, fire escapes, and guns. But these layers are less like a textured onion and more like the original, flat, Super Mario Bros. video game. Austin Butler does give a practiced and earnest performance. His acting is varied showing grief and stress but also courage and determination. Sadly, he’s the only moderate success in this film.
Lots of film lovers are enjoying this film saying it’s an adventurous ride of nihilistic fun. But if I’m going to have fun, I need better ideas and better storytelling.
