Pretty vacant portrayal of the criminal underworld

Even an all-star cast struggles with the cold, unwelcoming experience that is ‘Caught Stealing’, and ‘The Toxic Avenger’ reboot is just a little too Hollywood, says Clarisse Loughrey

- Clarisse Loughrey

As odd as the prospect of a traditional crime caper from the chronically divisive filmmaker Darren Aronofsky might seem (and I say this as a die-hard fan of Mother!), Caught Stealing isn't all that at odds with the likes of Black Swan (2010), The Wrestler (2008) and Requiem for a Dream (2000). Whatever the genre, Aronofsky tends to oscillate between two modes: the savagely harrowing or the savagely sentimental. And it's all there in Caught Stealing, but at such a low simmer that the film feels almost vacant.

On paper, it's Aronofsky's take on Martin Scorsese's After Hours (1985), a shaggy-dog New York story undercut with an anxious, restless feel for the city. Its star, Griffin Dunne, even has a small role as a bar manager. But what you would assume would be a warm, lively film is shot at a deathly, ominous crawl - heavy on the slow zooms and austere in its framing, courtesy of cinematographer Matthew Libatique.

And that makes for a rather cold, unwelcoming experience. There's none of the ghoulishness of Aronofsky's