Caught

This movie had me thinking well after viewing it. I had never heard of 'Caught' until I stumbled on it on late night free to air TV last week. Watched about an hour of it and found it very hard to drag myself off to bed (had to work next day), so I video taped the remainder.

The excellence of this movie can not be understated. Outstanding acting by all which is evident by the fact I liked greatly or disliked intensely the relatively small cast. It is also a realistic slice I think of a battling small business in a big city.

Crux of the story is an outwardly happy married couple who own a fish store, take in a down to earth homeless young man, Nick. From a hearty meal at their home, Nick ingratiates himself with both Joe & Betty and ends up staying with them in their only childs (Danny, a Hollywood hopeful) room. Nick works with Joe at the fish store and gradually becomes like the son taking over the family business.

Everything goes fine until a number of linked incidents take place. Firstly there is a possibility of Joe & Betty getting out of their day to day existence when a developer is interested in their shops location for a sizeable amount of money. Next is the gradual interest of Nick and Betty in each other which ultimately leads to a torrid affair. Finally there is the return of the prodigal son Danny with his wife and young child.

From here, the movie will glue you to your seat. So sit back and take it all in (I have no intention of stating 'enjoy').

If you get a chance to see this underrated movie, invest the time required to view it.

This could have been your run of the mill erotic thriller with the tired plot of lonely couple takes in drifter, drifter has affair with woman, etc. However with superb acting by the entire cast, good writing and direction this goes beyond the genre. After Schub appears in the last part, the movie gets even better. Denoument comes fast and furious. I kept expecting it to lapse into cliches, but it never did. I do not understand the last scene with Alonso, but this is a must see sleeper.

A fairly common theme- a young drifter has an affair with a bored older married woman, but somehow special. Very erotic, but not an X movie and tastefully done. Alonso is great, as are Olmos and the newcomer- Vereen. Also has a little bit of comedy. Alonso is very sexy, and also very realistic. You can actually feel what the three leads are feeling. The setting- a fish market is perfect. The characters of the three leads are all sypathetic and likeable. I have watched the movie several times.

"Caught" is a tight, ensemble drama which does something few films can do. It offers solid character development and explores the range of human emotion while telling a story with real depth and fidelity. Perfectly cast and executed, "Caught" peers into the lives of a middle aged couple who own a NYC fish market as a hired man becomes more than just a friend displacing their wayward adult son by day, the work-a-day husband by night, and acts as a catalyst for some compelling situations and performances. An excellent watch for mature audiences into psychodramas sans Tinseltown's usual hype and glitz.

One of the best performances I've ever seen is Danny, played by Stephen Schub. Permissible use policy of IMDb prohibits me from using any of the words that can describe the character of Danny. If you ever want to see an actor convincingly play the most detestable person you can ever imagine, see Schub play this role. Everyone else is good, too. An entertaining, enjoyable picture.