Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Darren Aronofsky, ‘Caught Stealing‘ spins a tale of New York City‘s criminal underworld at the turn of the century, as chronicled through the eyes of Henry “Hank” Thompson. Once an aspiring basketball player, Hank now works as a bartender, struggling to find a greater purpose in life. Things change one day when he is asked by his neighbor, Russ, to take care of his cat, Bud, for a few days. Hank is hesitant for two reasons, as he neither likes the cat nor trusts Russ, who is a known drug dealer. Nonetheless, he agrees to the task, not realizing that he is about to be swept into a dark whirlwind full of thieves and gang leaders alike. As such, Bud the cat takes center stage early on in this black comedy crime thriller film, deciding its course with his unpredictable actions. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Bud Has a Happy Ending With Hank in Tulum
Russ’s pet cat, Bud, survives the end of ‘Caught Stealing’ after having several close encounters with death. With the entire criminal saga left behind, Hank decides to make Bud a part of his elaborate escape plan, and ultimately, the duo makes it to Tulum, Mexico, where they are likely to spend the rest of their lives. As the movie’s premise is built around Bud, it is fitting for the conclusion to return the focus to him, in turn reflecting Hank’s transformation from start to finish. In the climactic driving sequence, Hank risks it all by intentionally crashing his car, knowing that it puts his and Bud’s lives in danger. However, in the last minute, he brings the cat as close to the car’s airbag as possible, letting them absorb the impact. Thus, Bud miraculously survives the crash with no injuries whatsoever, allowing Hank to smoothly advance to the next step of his plan.
When Hank dresses up as Russ to make his escape to Tulum, he brings Bud along with him. This decision itself operates on two levels, as he is both driven by his love for the cat and the need to sell his identity. At the start of the story, Hank wants nothing to do with Bud, explaining that the cat loves to bite him. This difficult relationship between them continues for quite some time, as the cat proves to be quite unruly as a pet. However, over time, Hank grows to genuinely care for Bud, and that is reflected in how he goes out of his way to save his life. His final memory of Yvonne is also synonymous with the cat, as he had asked her to temporarily babysit him. As such, with Yvonne now gone, Hank finds solace and companionship in his new pet, and the two appear to have grown mutually fond of each other. Bud agreeing to go to a faraway land without any resistance speaks to how much he trusts Hank as his new owner.
Bud Cheats Death a Number of Times in Caught Stealing
Although Bud makes it out of the story in one piece, he has more than one near-fatal scenarios, where a mix of sheer luck and Hank’s initiatives save his life. When Colorado first appears at Hank’s home with the Russians, one of his lackeys, Microbe, tries to pet Bud. When he is bitten instead, Microbe seemingly punches the cat, causing it to cry in pain. This scene serves as an extension of when Microbe beat Hank senseless, causing him to lose a kidney. In this case, however, Bud turns out to be surprisingly resilient and bravely fights off the Russians the next time they meet. His habit of biting strangers ends up coming in handy, as he frees himself from Roman and rushes back into Hank’s arms. What makes the scene even more intense is the barrage of gunfire raining over the cat, making its narrow survival even more impressive. The car crash in the end is Bud at his luckiest, as we have seen that an earlier iteration of the crash ended up killing Hank’s best friend.
Just as Hank soothes his trauma of Yvonne’s death through his relationship with Bud, the cat has a similar arc in relation to Russ. As his original owner, Russ starts out as a mixed bag. However, despite his criminal shenanigans, it is clear that he cares about his pet deeply, which makes his death in the end all the more tragic. Bud also proves to be a symbolically charged element, as from the get-go, many of the movie’s mysteries can be traced back to him. The most explicit connection is the key, which is initially hidden in a poop-toy on the cat’s litter box. Secondly, Bud accidentally dropped a bottle of alcohol on Hank’s bed, which is what saves his life, as his trip to the laundromat saves him from the initial wrath of the Russians. Thus, Bud goes from being a plot device meant to kickstart the more dramatic arcs to the beating heart of this tale.
Read More: Is Caught Stealing Based on a True Story?
You must be logged in to post a comment.