David R. Walker

Posts Tagged ‘Regina King’

Caught Stealing

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Cast: Austin Butler, Matt Smith, Regina King, Zoe Kravitz, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, George Abud, Griffin Dunne, Carol Kane

Running Time: 1 hour 47 minutes

Film Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Black Swan and The Whale director Darren Aronofsky returns with a zany and rambunctious crime thriller Caught Stealing set in New York City in 1998, just three years before the fall of the Twin Towers.

Things are not kosher when youngster Hank Thompson expertly played with a vulnerability and intuition by Oscar nominee Austin Butler (Elvis) is asked to look after his mad neighbour’s cat. The crazy neighbour is British punk rocker drug dealer, complete with a Mohawk, Russ superbly played by Matt Smith who shot to fame in Netflix’s elegant British drama The Crown.

The cat has a key in its cat box, which opens Russ’s secret stash of drugs and money which several criminal gangs are after including the Russians and the Hebrews.

Hank Thompson is just a regular bar tender who gets involved in a web of crime and intrigue while trying to stay sober and look after his beautiful girlfriend Yvonne played by the fabulous Zoe Kravitz (The Batman, Mad Max: Fury Road, Blink Twice). Soon the Russian mafia are after him and Hank reaches out to hardened New York detective Roman wonderfully played with menace by Oscar winner Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk).

Darren Aronofsky pays homage to the 1993 film True Romance in Caught Stealing capturing that gritty desperation which Hank feels as he gets thrust into a notoriously untrustworthy world in which he doesn’t seem capable of defending himself or escaping. He won’t use a gun or drive a car.

To add fire to the mix, screenwriter Charlie Huston, who adapted the screenplay from his book by the same name, introduces some lethal Hebrew brothers who also want Russ’s share of the money.

Liev Schreiber (Golda, Spotlight, The Manchurian Candidate) and Vincent D’Onofrio (The Cell, Magnificent Seven) play sociopathic brothers Lipa and Shmully who feel nothing at attacking a glitzy Russian disco in the middle of a wedding.

Caught Stealing is an ingenuous film in which the main character goes from being a barman to overcoming all fears, addictions included, as he strives to protect himself and Russ’s cat from any harm while trying to outwit a multitude of bad characters all heavily armed.

With minimal special effects, Caught Stealing is a riveting and comic crime drama about the underbelly of New York just before the city changed forever at the end of a century in which anything still felt possible.

With lots of plot twists and crazy car chases, Caught Stealing gets a film rating of 7.5 out of 10 held together by a brilliant performance by Austin Butler whose talent seems boundless.

If you enjoy original content, then this film is highly recommended viewing.

The 91st Academy Awards took place on Sunday 24th February 2019 at the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

Best Picture: Green Book

Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron – Roma

Best Actor: Rami Malek – Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Actress: Olivia Colman – The Favourite

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali – Green Book

Best Supporting Actress: Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Original Screenplay: Green Book

Best Adapted Screenplay: Spike Lee – BlackkKlansman

Best Cinematography: Roma

Best Costume Design: Black Panther

Best Make up & Hairstyling: Vice

Best Visual Effects: First Man

Best Film Editing: Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Sound Editing: Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Sound Mixing: Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Production Design: Black Panther

Best Documentary Feature:  Free Solo

Best Original Score: Ludwig Goransson – Black Panther

Best Original Song: Shallow from A Star is Born

Best Animated Feature Film: Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse

Best Foreign Language Film: Roma – directed by Alfonso Cuaron

Took Place on Sunday the 6th January 2019 in Los Angeles hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association – Here are the 2019 Winners in the Film Categories

Best Motion Picture – Drama

“Bohemian Rhapsody”

Best Director – Motion Picture

Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”)

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama:

Glenn Close (“The Wife”)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama:

Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”)

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:

“Green Book”

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:

Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:

Christian Bale (“Vice”)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture:

Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture:

Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”)

Best Motion Picture – Animated:

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language Film:

“Roma”

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture:

Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie (“Green Book”)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture:

Justin Hurwitz (“First Man”)