'Caught Stealing' fills the post-blockbuster void

The box office has been down for the last several weeks. Way down. That's not a surprise – the end of August and the beginning of September are usually slow. Summer blockbusters are in the past and serious dramas are in the future. Into this void stepped "Caught Stealing." It's no masterpiece, but it's not too shabby.Former baseball player Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) is a bartender in New York in 1998. He's a diehard San Francisco Giants fan. Always has been, always will be. As Hank and his girlfriend Yvonne (Zoe Kravitz) arrive at his crappy apartment in the early hours of the morning after his shift they come upon Hank's neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) standing outside Hank's door.Russ is not your average looking guy. He sports a tall, colorful, spiky mohawk, wears a leather jacket with chrome spikes on it and speaks with the accent of his native country, England. He also has a cat in a bag. Buddy. Russ wants Hank to look after Buddy for a while. Russ's dad had a stroke and he needs to get to England ASAP.The following day Hank is trying to unlock Russ's door to get cat food when he's accosted by two Russian gentlemen. Accosted is not a strong enough word for the beating they lay on Hank. Gentlemen is the wrong word for two enforcers for the Russian mob.Russ is in trouble. With the Russians, two Hasidic drug-dealing brothers and the police. Russ has something they all want, and now they think Hank has it. The beating he took resulted in a removal of a kidney and a visit from Detective Roman (Regina King).Each step Hank takes sucks him deeper into a web of criminals that he wants no part of, but they want a part of him.I went into this movie with no preconceived notions of the quality of the film. Sure, I had seen the trailer a few times, and that was enough to intrigue me, make me want to see the movie. The movie could be great, or it could be one of the worst things I have ever seen. It turns out that it was somewhere in the middle, but closer to great than terrible."Caught Stealing" is the rare movie where you get exactly what you expect from the trailer. The story of the film is simple: Three groups of people think Hank has what he doesn't have, and they won't stop until they get it. Once the action picks up the movie is essentially one long chase scene across New York City. Certain scenes are so wild that they verge on being out of control, too unbelievably over the top. The movie edges up to that line a few times, but then thankfully backs away. The result is an engaging and funny romp around the city.One part of the movie that was surprising was the level of violence. The movie looked to be a happy-go-lucky type of action comedy, and it is that, but it is also gritty and violent. There are more unexpected deaths than I would have guessed. The movie keeps you on your toes and prevents you from predicting what will happen next.The year 1998 doesn't seem that long ago. At least, if you're my age it doesn't. If you stop to think about it, the movie takes place 27 years ago. The year 1998 is almost three decades ago! "Caught Stealing" does a great job of capturing the subtle differences in the culture between now and then without being overbearing.Austin Butler is the main character and the star of the show. He's literally in every scene. He performs well, though nowhere near his iconic performance of Elvis Presley. His character is not a perfect person, but he's far better than just about everyone else in the movie and Hank is good enough to make you root for him. Still, Buddy the cat is my favorite."Caught Stealing" is an entertaining crime comedy that will make you laugh and, above all, is entertaining. You could certainly do worse at the theater this time of year.Grade: B+Rated R for strong violent content, pervasive language, some sexuality/nudity and brief drug use.•••Bradley Griffith is a local attorney and longtime film buff.