New Movie Features Jewish Villains — But Is an Entertaining Ride

There are good people and bad people in every religion. Because Hasidic Jews are so seldomly depicted in film and TV, people are understandably sensitive and would like them to be shown in a positive light.

Darren Aronofsky’s new film, Caught Stealing, features two Hasidic men, Lipa and Shmully (Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio), who are gun-toting murderers looking to get millions.

There is a funny scene where actor Austin Butler, who stars as the film’s protagonist, Hank Thompson, dons a yarmulke and eats matzah ball soup, sitting next to the two men.

But many will argue it’s not funny for Regina King, who plays Detective Roman, to call them “monsters” and tell Hank they are the worst — even worse than the Russian mobsters, who are the main villains.

Based on the book by Charlie Huston, the story is purposely outrageous, though in the novel, the men are not Hasidic. Instead, they are named Ed and Paris — they are Black and wear cowboy hats.

In the film, Hank thinks he is cat-sitting for a friend, but things go badly as Russians, as well as Lipa and Shmully, want a key that will lead to a large fortune. And they’ll kill to get it.

Butler is fantastic, and shows that he can play any role. While the Russians are a bit stereotypical, Nikita Kukushkin gives a fine performance as a brute with a sense of humor, playing Pavel.

Jewish actress Carol Kane appears briefly to serve the men the matzah ball soup before Shabbat.

There are a number of twists and turns, and Caught Stealing succeeds because it is gritty, yet all the performances are believable. Butler and his love interest have real chemistry on screen, King is purposely annoying, Schreiber is a man that has a heart, while brutal at the same time, and there are a few words of Yiddish spoken between the two men.

The scene at a Jewish home might have worked better at a kosher restaurant, but that is being nitpicky. Schreiber adds a lot to the film and elevates it because of his steadiness and presence.

The film is fast-paced and makes a farcical story seem almost plausible. Caught Stealing is a fun film that has a lot of juice, action, laughs, and style that many films have been lacking. I would have liked it to be a bit longer with Schreiber on screen a bit more, but the story had to focus on Hank.

While I prefer Jewish characters without stereotypes, I don’t buy that the film is bad for Jews as some fear — nor do I think it is good for Jews. It’s a movie with Jewish characters who happen to be villains in this case, and people are smart enough to know that there are good and bad people of all types. The job of filmmakers is to give us something we haven’t seen before. and Caught Stealing certainly qualifies.

The author is a writer based in New York.