When a favor goes wrong, all hell breaks loose. Former baseball prodigy Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) just wanted to look after his neighbor’s cat. Instead, he’s dragged headfirst into a violent tangle of mobsters, hustlers, and bad luck.
A must-watch for fans of Pulp Fiction, Fargo and Snatch.
Genre: gangster, dark comedy, crime (2025)
Language: English, Yiddish, subtitles: Dutch (and English for non-English dialogue)
Length: 1 hr. 47 mins.
Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) was a baseball phenomenon in his school days, but he can no longer play. Otherwise, he's doing fine: he has a nice girlfriend (Zoë Kravitz), works behind the bar in a New York pub, and the baseball club he supports is doing surprisingly well in the league. When Russ (Matt Smith), the punk who lives next door, asks him to look after his cat for a few days, Hank suddenly finds himself dealing with a motley crew of grim gangsters. They all want something from him, but he has no idea why. Hank has to pull out all the stops to find out what they want, without falling into the hands of the criminals.
This Charlie Huston adaptation (adapted by the author himself) is set in the nineties, and that's no coincidence: the brutal, darkly comical story is clearly influenced by crime hits such as Pulp Fiction, Fargo, and Snatch.
Award-winning director Aronofsky (masterpiece Requiem for a Dream & Black Swan) manages to make it very energetic and highly entertaining. “I wanted to make a purely genre film... focus on making great entertainment.”
Reviews
“It’s unpredictable and occasionally unhinged — but never forgets to have fun.” Man of many
“You wouldn’t expect Darren Aronofsky to make a slick crime movie, but that’s just what this entertaining, twisty and ultimately bloody caper is. Despite all the bloody violence, there is a buoyant feel to the film… a dark soap bubble of an entertainment. And that weirdness makes this unlikely film sparkle.” The Hollywood Reporter
Ticket information
This film will be shown at Filmhuis De Zwarte Doos.
- Tickets must be purchased online in advance and can be bought by clicking the black “Order” button on this page.
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Please be on time
The screening of the film begin promptly at 19:30 (with no pre-film advertisements), and the cinema hall will open at 19:10. We kindly request that you arrive at the ticket counter at least 10 minutes before the start of the film to ensure a smooth and timely experience for all.
The Studium Generale film program is created in collaboration with the Student Film Committee and Natlab.