Burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of late 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined.
Direction
Aronofsky's first straight comedy—still somehow sweaty and anxious.
Acting
Butler's dumb-jock sincerity sells every increasingly terrible decision.
Practical Effects
Pre-Giuliani NYC recreated with grimy, lived-in authenticity.
Director
Darren Aronofsky
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on Charlie Huston's novel; Aronofsky bought the rights in 2011 and sat on them for fourteen years.
The '2 Russians, 2 Jews, and a Puerto Rican' tagline deliberately echoes 90s NYC ethnic-crime films like 'The Pope of Greenwich Village'—then subverts them with Butler's WASP protagonist who doesn't belong anywhere.
US
