Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Caught Stealing review says that the clever story and game acting are overwhelmed by astoundingly savage violence.

Caught Stealing is literally painful proof that you can’t judge a movie by its trailer, poster or director. From the promotion, you’d think it might be violent but tongue in cheek, somewhat amusing crime caper, a la Guy Richie.

But once you see the first shamelessly brutal beating, you know director Darren Aronofsky is taking it to an even darker place—one that can physically hurt to watch, not to mention the adverse emotional reactions it renders.

Even Sony’s official synopsis belies the brutal violence viewers will be subjected to: “Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) was a high-school baseball phenom who can’t play anymore, but everything else is going okay. He’s got a great girl (Zoë Kravitz), tends bar at a New York dive, and his favorite team is making an underdog run at the pennant.

“When his punk-rock neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) asks him to take care of his cat for a few days, Hank suddenly finds himself caught in the middle of a motley crew of threatening gangsters. They all want a piece of him; the problem is he has no idea why. As Hank attempts to evade their ever-tightening grip, he’s got to use all his hustle to stay alive long enough to find out…”

Of course it’s not the goal of promotional material to scare off viewers with accurate descriptions of the superlative cruelty and and pain that’s in store for the characters (and the more tender-hearted viewers), but some sort of warning is in order, so I’m providing it here.

Caught Stealing review — a little sympathy

In a misguided attempt at levity, Aronofsky drums up much more sympathy for the biting cat than for any of the human characters. The audience reacted with more pathos when the cat got kicked than when the least deserving characters were barbarically dispatched.

The film is not without its worthy highlights, however. The cast members are game, and they deliver. In addition to those already mentioned, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Regina King, Bad Bunny, Griffen Dunne and Carol Kane and the surprise cameo from a noted actress at the end are all very watchable, no matter how small their roles may be.

Also, the source material, a novel by Charlie Huston, who additionally served as screenwriter, is intriguing.

In the end, as well crafted and well intended as some parts of the film may be, the brutal and savage violence would make me feel as if I’d lost my sense of humanity if I found it entertaining.

Rated R

1 Hour 47 Minutes

If, after reading this Caught Stealing review you’re still inclined to slink over the the cineplex and see it, get times and tickets at Fandango.com.

Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Caught Stealing review says that the clever story and game acting are overwhelmed by astoundingly savage violence.