Rent Caught Stealing on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Charlie Huston
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
Ex-baseball player Hank Thompson unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City after agreeing to watch his neighbor's cat.
Verdict
Much like the main character Hank, this has a lot of potential that never pans out. It's not as funny as I expected despite the diverse set of characters. The story can be needlessly violent instead of trying to create a connection to the characters or plot. I never really cared about Hank as I'm not given a reason other than a traumatic event in his past that's used as a shortcut. The conclusion is unsatisfying, borne of a reason to end the movie rather than complete Hank's adventure.
It depends.
Review
Bartender Hank (Austin Butler) agrees to take care of his punk British neighbor Russ's (Matt Smith) cat, and from there things go downhill. Hank is a former baseball prospect that never made it past high school. Two mobsters looking for Russ beat Hank up instead to the point that he loses a kidney. You don't typically see brutal beatings in movies having any consequences. It also makes all of Hank's following adventures in this movie dubious. He has to be hurting but you wouldn't know it by looking at him. No kidney also means no alcohol which seems to be part of Hank's favorite past time.
 |
| Austin Butler plays Hank Thompson |
The mobsters come back for more. Russ has something these mobsters want, and unfortunately Hank is the only connection. Hank is in over his head, but he gets around really well for someone recovering from surgery.
The premise seemed like a fun crime caper, but this movie is much more serious than I expected. When the criminals threaten Hank, they aren't joking. This movie keeps getting darker. While that sets this apart, I'd probably like it better if it was more fun and comedic. This hopes violence will suffice for the lack of investment. While Hank is haunted by his past guilt that is tied to derailing his promising future in baseball, the movie doesn't really do much with that. It's trauma but it never seems to inform his actions.
 |
| Vincent D'Onofrio, Austin Butler, Liev Schreiber play Shmully Drucker, Hank Thompson, Lipa Drucker |
This has all the pieces. While the situation certainly keeps spiraling out of control, even when you think it's reached a threshold, it goes further. I'm also continually amazed at how well Hank gets around for a guy missing a kidney. This isn't bad, but it could have been so much more. Hank's experiences with the Drucker brothers is absurd, quite different from the tone of the rest of the movie.
With everything that's happened, it doesn't seem like a movie that would have a happy ending. While there's been plenty of tragedy, Hank finds a silver lining. He even takes the cat along despite not liking the cat initially. This could have done more between them, and the conclusion feels flimsy. The movie could have built to an ending where the seeds were planted from the beginning and make it meaningful. It doesn't land as it's not something Hank ever wanted nor talked about.
No comments :
Post a Comment