While Caught Stealing (2025) might initially seem like a stark departure for director Darren Aronofsky, considering it’s been marketed as this zany and offbeat crime comedy, what lies underneath is a character deconstruction that’s right up his alley. The filmmaker behind such renowned works as Requiem for a Dream (2000), The Wrestler (2008), Black Swan (2010), and Mother! (2017) trades in his surrealist and psychological narrative techniques for something more grounded, yet just as unpredictable. Caught Stealing is also pretty damn hilarious and quick-witted at times, adding to why it feels like a head-turning tonal departure for this director, especially following the extremely mean-spirited nature of The Whale (2022). Rest assured, Aronofsky is working in higher spirits here.
Still, for all its laugh-out-loud gags and sharp humor, Caught Stealing packs a hefty emotional punch. Aronofsky originally read Charlie Huston’s 2004 crime novel of the same name 18 years ago, the first in a trilogy centering on protagonist Henry “Hank” Thompson. One of the film’s secret weapons is the fact that Huston returned to adapt his own book for the big screen. With Huston’s screenplay in hand, the final piece of the equation comes in actor Austin Butler, famous for Elvis (2022), The Bikeriders (2023), and Dune: Part Two (2024). Make no mistake, this is Butler’s show, as everything in the story revolves around his fateful decision-making. Aronofsky fully understands this, framing Butler like a true movie star.
A Cat with a Nasty Bite
New York City, 1998. The young charmer Hank Thompson seemingly has it all: a good-enough-paying job as a bartender, a just-above-crummy apartment, and a steamy romance with local paramedic Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz). Above all else, he has his loving mom back home on the West Coast, whom he rings daily, and their shared adoration for the San Francisco Giants. Although he’s certainly got irresistible swagger, Hank’s life hasn’t been the same since he failed to get drafted into the MLB due to an avoidable accident. His love for baseball is simultaneously a haunting reminder of his past sins, which must finally be atoned for when his punk-rock neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) asks him for a favor.
What starts out as an ordinary request to watch his feisty pet cat, Bud, while Russ visits his sick dad in London, quickly turns into a dangerous affair. Russian gangsters come knocking at Russ’ apartment door, and poor Hank is stuck paying for his unfortunate disappearance with bruises and a ruptured kidney. After a slew of messy choices, Hank finds himself in the crosshairs of not only the Russians, but also Puerto Rican mobster Colorado (Benito A Martínez Ocasio), the NYPD detective Roman (Regina King), and Shmully (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Lipa (Liev Schreiber), the two deadliest orthodox Jews in New York’s criminal underworld. What else could go wrong, besides the SF Giants losing and missing the 1998 postseason playoffs?
Austin Butler’s Leading Performance is Both Charismatic and Vulnerable
Even with big names behind the camera, Caught Stealing is the kind of throwback star vehicle that lives or dies on the strength of its lead. To no surprise, Austin Butler goes above and beyond, delivering one of his most memorable performances to date. He’s got endless charm and can pull off the “bad boy” archetype easily — we already knew that. Aronofsky, however, presents him with the immense challenge of fueling an entire ensemble of eccentric characters. Yes, Zoë Kravitz (The Batman, Blink Twice) brings her utterly magnetic screen presence. Matt Smith (Doctor Who, House of the Dragon) shouldn’t be discounted as a crude punk rock dope peddler either, nor should the great Regina King (Shirley, Watchmen).
Courtesy of Sony
Yet, for as interesting or funny as these supporting characters can be on their own, it’s how they bounce off Hank that makes them so entertaining to watch. His good nature and “mama’s boy” innocence are stripped away, revealing a man who is truly dissatisfied with life. Early in Caught Stealing, Yvonne suggests they take their relationship more seriously. But she won’t settle for someone who doesn’t have their priorities straight. This continues to linger over Hank as he struggles with what to make of his future if he can even make it out of this situation alive. When you think things possibly couldn’t get worse, they do, and Butler’s raw performance keeps viewers locked in at each turn.
Caught Stealing Cleverly Utilizes Its Ensemble Cast
Seeing an average Joe wrestle with his personal demons internally, often in a quiet and nuanced manner, while paired on screen with colorful criminals who are perfectly content with their life of causing pain and suffering, is when Caught Stealing is at its funniest. Some will argue that Darren Aronofsky’s tone is all over the place. However, this kind of juxtaposition offers a meal’s worth of material for the cast, even when their screen time is limited. As previously mentioned, the plot mainly focuses on Hank. Thus, certain players, such as Zoë Kravitz and Bad Bunny, receive fewer scenes, which is likely to disappoint their dedicated fans. There’s no avoiding that.
Although not everyone gets an equal amount of screen time, no role goes to waste. Each character gets the chance to make a lasting impression, including two Russian goons (played by Yuri Kolokolnikov and Nikita Kukushkin) with a whimsical knack for American puns. In a lesser crime picture, they would be totally disposable villains. Speaking of, Liev Schreiber (The Perfect Couple) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Daredevil: Born Again) almost run away with Caught Stealing as their notorious Jewish mobster duo. Their scenes with Butler showcase Aronofsky’s precise balance of witty comedy with darker undertones. All in all, the ensemble does its admirable part in fleshing out the film’s late ‘90s setting and making it feel as authentic as possible.
Darren Aronofsky Brings NYC to Life with Lived-In, Gorgeous Textures
A New York native, Darren Aronofsky captures the bustling city streets with a pulse-pounding energy that can only come from firsthand experience. With his longtime cinematographer Matthew Libatique at his side, Aronofsky layers the screen with one rich texture after another. This exceeds Libatique’s kinetic camerawork, which deserves its own praise, as it fills the screen with all forms of busy city life, leaving no visual space to waste. The production design is a crucial element in Aronofsky’s worldbuilding, too. Fine details, such as former real-life video stores, clubs/dance halls, and janky potholes on the street, bring New York’s pre-gentrification era to life in all its timeless beauty.
From grimy bars to a jam-packed New York Mets game to a cozy Shabbat dinner with Bubbe, Caught Stealing takes audiences across the Big Apple and back. It’s more than a superficial ode to late ‘90s NYC, with the British post-punk band Idles supplying the film with grungy original music on top of some favorable needle drops. Darren Aronofsky’s latest is a fresh reminder that there is a better hope for adult-oriented genre pieces in the current theatrical landscape, ones that can succeed purely on the trifecta of a lean script, inspired visuals, and bona fide star power. When the adorable cat sidekick is merely one of many pros here, that’s how you know you’ve got something genuinely special.
Caught Stealing hits theaters on August 29!
Release Date: August 29, 2025.
Directed by Darren Aronofsky.
Screenplay by Charlie Huston.
Based on Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston.
Produced by Darren Aronofsky, Ari Handel, Dylan Golden, & Jeremy Dawson.
Executive Producers: Charlie Huston, Ann Ruark, Tarak Ben Ammar, & Mohannad Malas.
Main Cast: Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Griffin Dunne, Benito Martínez Ocasio, Carol Kane, Tenoch Huerta, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Brill, Action Bronson, George Abud, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Nikita Kukushkin, McKinzie J. Scott, & Tonic the Cat.
Cinematographer: Matthew Libatique.
Composer: Rob Simonsen.
Production Companies: Columbia Pictures & Protozoa Pictures.
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Runtime: 107 minutes.
Rated R.
