Sony Pictures aka Columbia is having a very bad year, as you may have surmised.
Nothing has worked because none of it was good including “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Karate Kid: Legends.” So far they have a measly 5% of the market since January 1st.
And so they wait for “Spider Man” again.
In the meantime, Friday brings a bit of a bright light: Darren Aronofsky’s “Caught Stealing” starring the magnetic Austin Butler in a total breakout role.
Will this be the film that gives Sony some hope?
Aronofsky hasn’t had a film this good in a long time. “Caught Stealing” is part “Anora,” part “Romper Stomper.” It’s a violent punk comedy full of visual splendor. If you’re not too sensitive, this film is kind of a late summer relief.
It’s also got a big, eclectic cast. But other than Regina King and Matt Smith (in a hilarious turn), don’t get too attached to any of the characters. They come and go, but you’ll never forget them as played by Zoe Kravitz, Griffin Dunne, and Action Bronson.
Butler is who the movie is all about, and he carries it right til the end with aplomb. His Hank Thompson is a Lower East Side transplant from San Francisco, where he hoped to play for the baseball giants. But an unforeseen tragedy cuts that idea short, so now he’s in New York scraping by for a living.
Hank’s Cockney accented neighbor, Russ, sports a Mohawk and chains but also has a secret. He’s stashed away money that isn’t his — isn’t that always the case? He leaves Hank literally holding the bag, as well as a hissing cat who will soon exhibit nine lives. (Kravitz is Hank’s friend with benefits.)
Who’s comes looking for the money? Russian mobsters from Brooklyn and a pair of hilariously violent Hasidic criminals played by Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio. As good as Butler is, Schreiber and D’Onofrio attempt to steal the movie out from underneath him with a lot of inside jokes as they speak Yiddish with their “bubbe” played by the miraculous Carol Kane.
Yes, there are a few surprise killings, but “Caught Stealing” is more than fun when it finally settles down. Aronofsky really captures the quirky East Village from before the advent of $5 million condos and insufferable yuppies. His send up of burgeoning techies via a neighbor who’s “designing websites” is very amusing.
But again, it’s all on Butler, who’s now back to speaking like himself and not Elvis Presley. The ladies love him, and guys can identify with a boozing loser who’s savvy enough to dig himself out of trouble. What more do you want?
