This is Darren Aronofsky’s new film, starring Austin Butler. It is a crime thriller in the style of early Guy Richie, filled with dark humor, eccentric characters, outrageous accents and extreme violence. Among the most eccentric performers are Bad Bunny, Liev Schreiber, Vince D’Onofrio, Carol Kane, Griffin Dunne and Matt Smith.
Charlie Huston adapted his own eponymous novel into this screenplay. The main character, washed-up baseball player Hank Thompson, appears in two other Huston books, so there is some franchise potential if this one makes money. (It did not have a very successful run in the USA, despite opening in 3500 theaters, but there’s always Blu-Ray and streaming. The film has some cult potential.)
Metacritic: 65/100
IMDb: 7.3
You wouldn’t think Aronofsky could make a Guy Richie movie, but it’s surprisingly entertaining.
Burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined.
Caught it in the theater opening weekend because my wife is a huge Austin fan. It was much better than I expected from the trailers.
Quite a fun watch.
I agree. I was expecting a humorless, heavy-handed treatment, and I was completely wrong. It’s filled with action. It’s slightly nuts, full of abrupt tone shifts, and utterly chaotic.
In other words, it’s perfect for the source material.
I did not expect to be entertained, but I was.