JustWatchWhat is Caught Stealing About?
A down-on-his-luck New York bartender agrees to look after his neighbour’s cat, expecting nothing more troubling than a dirty litter box or two. Instead, he unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of the 1990s.
Where has his neighbour gone? Can he ever survive? And why can’t he get rid of the cat?
Our Honest Caught Stealing Review
We didn’t expect the guy who directed Requiem For A Dream to give us one of the most entertaining movies of the year. Caught Stealing is a riot! It’s an anarchic throwback to the mid-budget, street-level crime films of yesteryear, and we had loads of fun.
The entire cast of Caught Stealing does a great job, but Austin Butler shines the most. He’s a likeable lead and it’s hard not to cheer him on. There’s witty dialogue, a couple of bloody action scenes, and it’s all grounded in a dirty, violent urban landscape. Please give us more like this.
What Do the Critics Think of Caught Stealing?
Caught Stealing received generally positive reviews from critics, who noted that it was something of a departure for Darren Aronofsky. Reviewers singled out Austin Butler for praise, and it currently holds an 84% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
- “Caught Stealing is the best movie from Darren Aronofsky… in years, a crazy After Hours-style yarn with a high body count and a buoyant, breathless pace.” – Thelma Adams, AARP Movies For Grownups.
- “…the film has so much bloodletting and the casualty rate is so high that its gallows humour tends to be upstaged by the ultra violence. But there’s no looking away.” – Sandra Hall, Sydney Morning Herald.
- “The pace is fast and propulsive and all characters are expendable, so you’re never quite sure where “Caught Stealing” is headed next.” – Adam Graham, Detroit News.
- “The entire film is such a refreshing change of pace and tone from Aronofsky’s typically dour material that it feels like the director is intentionally turning a page.” – Coleman Spilde, Salon.
- “Funny, weird and demented are much more interesting keys to play, and Mr. Aronofsky does so with gusto in a movie that sprawls, rambles and roars.” – Kyle Smith, Wall Street Journal.
What Awards and Nominations did Caught Stealing Receive?
At present, Caught Stealing has not received any nominations. However, we imagine it’ll pick up a few when the awards season rolls around. We think it’s got a reasonable chance of getting listed for:
- Best Director for Darren Aronofsky at the Critics’ Choice Awards.
- Best Adapted Screenplay for Charlie Huston at the Critics’ Choice Awards.
- Best Actor for Austin Butler at the BAFTA Awards.
- Best Actor for Austin Butler at the Online Film Critics Society Awards.
- Best Supporting Actress for Regina King at the BAFTA Awards.
Cast & Crew of Caught Stealing
We had to double-check that Darren Aronofsky genuinely directed this movie and that it wasn’t an elaborate prank. He’s the man responsible for the bleak, psychological darkness of films like Black Swan (2010) and The Whale (2022), and Caught Stealing is an outlier. He’s not really dabbled in humour or action before, but he does a great job.
It takes a special kind of bravery to play Elvis Presley, but that’s exactly what Austin did in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis (2022). He claims he didn’t sleep properly for two years because he was so nervous about playing the King, but he needn’t have worried. He was terrific, and he repeats his success as an ex-baseball player turned bartender in Caught Stealing. He’s undoubtedly the star and will likely be a huge name in Hollywood before the year is out.
The former Doctor Who plays against type as a shifty, mohawked ne’er-do-well. He’s a duplicitous and unpleasant British geezer, and about as far removed from a Time Lord as it’s possible to get. He’s also a lot more foul-mouthed.
Zoë Kravitz is proof that nepotism can be a good thing. She’s the daughter of rock legend Lenny Kravitz, but she’s probably going to be more famous than her father soon. She absolutely tore the screen up playing Catwoman in The Batman (2022), and she does the same in Caught Stealing.
Regina King rightfully won the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk (2018). She’s a veteran of the film and television business, with an enviable filmography, although if we had to single out one in particular, it would be The Harder They Fall (2021). We had a right old time with that one.
Fun Facts About Caught Stealing
- The film is set in 1998 and contains numerous references to New York’s culture in the nineties. For example, Hank is seen walking past a shop called Kim’s Video. This was a real-life video rental business that was the subject of a documentary in 2023.
- Austin Butler formed a close bond with Laura Dern, partly due to her resemblance to his mother, who passed away in 2014.
- The teams featured in the tiebreaker game that Hank turns off are the Chicago Cubs and the San-Francisco Giants. The Cubs won and advanced to the playoffs.
- The cast includes two Oscar winners (Regina King and Laura Dern) and three Oscar nominees (Austin Butler, Carol Kane, and Griffin Dunne).
- Despite the title, nobody in the film is ever caught in the act of theft.
- SPOILER WARNING: This is one of director Darren Aronofsky’s few films where the protagonist survives.
Themes of Caught Stealing
At the most basic level, Caught Stealing deals with what happens when a relatively ordinary human being finds themselves completely out of their depth. Austin Butler’s Hank is no superhero or highly trained specialist; he’s just a regular bartender trapped in a spiral of chaos.
The characters are all flawed and make more than one stupid mistake. The film deals with the idea that even innocuous decisions can have serious consequences. In this case, agreeing to look after a cat leads to a life-or-death struggle.
How Does Caught Stealing Compare to Darren Aronofsky’s Other Work?
Put it this way: if we didn’t know beforehand that this was an Aronofsky film, we’d never have guessed. He’s built a reputation for harsh and mentally draining films, but Caught Stealing has a more light-hearted vibe. It’s closer in style to Guy Ritchie’s crime thrillers or Martin Scorsese’s New York mob stories than films like The Wrestler (2008).
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Behind-the-Scenes Trivia
- The film was previously scheduled for development in 2013, with Patrick Wilson lined up to play Hank. The project fell through, but was revitalised in 2024.
- Carol Kane only speaks Yiddish in this film; she doesn’t say a single word of English.
- Tonic the cat was described as a “rock star on day one” by screenwriter Charlie Huston. Director Aronofsky was similarly impressed and said, “I would work with Tonic in a second again over many human actors.”
- Puerto Rican rapper Benito Martinez Ocasio, who is better known as Bad Bunny, plays Colorado. The film’s premiere in Puerto Rico coincided with Bad Bunny’s 30-date concert residency. Aronofsky and Butler both attended one of the shows.
What’s the Soundtrack Like for Caught Stealing?
It’s pretty good and will be especially appealing to fans of IDLES. It’s a collaboration between them and the composer Rob Simonsen, and has a pulsing, unsettling vibe. The bass reverberates, and the vocals sound borderline inhuman, so it’s very much a mood piece. If you like atmospheric music with a dark edge, we’d recommend looking it up.
Best Quotes from Caught Stealing
- “Trouble is to a man like rust is to iron.” – Carol Kane’s Bubbe gets philosophical on the nature of man.
- “He’s a biter.” – Hank warns not to pet Bud.
- “Some guys wave their gun around like it’s their… d***. But I don’t need to wave anything around. Either I get what I want or the pistol talks for me.” – Benito Martinez Ocasio’s gang enforcer casually threatens Hank.
- “Oy! What the f*** are you doing, geezer?” – Hank says hi to his neighbour.
- “ I grew up down here. Work down here. But I ain’t gonna f****** die down here. When all of this is over, I’m going to Tulum.” – Detective Roman considers her future.
What People Are Asking About Caught Stealing
It is indeed. It’s an adaptation of Charlie Huston’s crime novel of the same name.
Yes, he plays the character Amtrak. However, he does not contribute to the soundtrack.
It’s already out, the film was released on August 28th, 2025 and can be found on demand on Prime Video.
It’s possible, the original novel has two follow-ups that continue the misadventures of Hank as he’s pursued by a motley crew of threatening gangsters, so if this film succeeds, it is likely.
