Caught Stealing (2025) is directed by Darren Aronofsky and features a screenplay from Charlie Huston, which he adapted from his 2004 novel of the same name. It stars Austin Butler, Zoe Kravitz, Regina King, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Bad Bunny, Griffin Dunne, Action Bronson, Nikita Kukushkin, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Dominique Silver, George Abud, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Brill, Oleg Prudius, Gregg Bello, Carol Kane, and Laura Dern. The film follows former hot-shot baseball player turned NYC dive bar employee, Hank Thompson (Butler). He spends the majority of his days drinking beer, watching his beloved San Francisco Giants, and romancing his “relationship undefined” lover, Yvonne (Kravitz). When his British punk-rocker neighbor, Russ (Smith), asks him to take care of his cat while he leaves for a few days, Hank quickly finds himself targeted by the city’s deadliest criminal scum. As this triggers memories of his traumatic past, Hank is forced to take control of his life and face his problems head-on before they quite literally become the death of him. 

Although definitely not his flashiest role, Austin Butler’s performance as Hank Thompson proves that he is a bona fide movie star. He’s physical, funny, charming, and emotional while still being deeply, authentically flawed. He nails everything this script asks him to do, so it helps that the script/story is total dynamite. It intelligently presents Hank with personal problems that are entirely separate from the situation at hand, which makes him a much more authentic and relatable protagonist. Many films like this introduce the protagonist at a stable, uncomplicated point in their life, which is then upended by whatever misfortune drives the plot. Hank, on the other hand, is someone who’s already struggling, but is thrown into a terrible situation on top of it all. This serves to amplify the tragic nature of Hank’s problems, which, in turn, makes the viewer that much more desperate to see him emerge from his situation unscathed. He’s just a regular guy who struggles with sobriety, loves his mom & girlfriend, and more than anything just wants to see his favorite baseball team win a title. 

Zoe Kravitz achieves a believable romantic chemistry with Butler, which often provides the film with an intense emotional center. Unfortunately, she’s a tad forgettable compared to the majority of the supporting cast, who take full advantage of their over-the-top characters. These include Vincent D’Onofrio and Liev Schreiber as two hyper-violent Jewish gangsters, and Matt Smith as a smack-talking, drug-dealing British punk who inadvertently involves Hank in his dirty deeds. Smith is perfectly cast and absolutely nails the role. In fact, it might be my favorite character I’ve ever seen him play (sorry, Dr. Who fans). 

The film also features Griffin Dunne, who’s cast as a clear nod to one of my favorite NYC-set films in which he stars, Martin Scorsese’s After Hours (1985). Like that film, Caught Stealing works as a kind of nightmare comedy in the sense that Hank’s misfortune is often so unfortunate that it almost adopts an element of comic absurdity. Thankfully, Aronofsky pulls back before things ever get too crazy, keeping the reality grounded and the stakes high. 

This premise isn’t particularly new, but it ends up feeling that way due to all the small details used to make the characters and world feel realistically lived-in. Aronofsky displays a strict commitment to era-specific details, which is yet another element that adds to the film’s aura of authenticity. I could go through every example, but you’ll just have to trust me when I say that small details are what make this experience so fresh. The script provides nearly everything a person could want: romance, action, mystery, twists, tragedy, baseball, and everything in between. If you can handle its intensity, it’s basically the complete package.

Overall, this is one of the best crime thrillers I’ve seen in a long time. It features an exciting story, palpable stakes, unpredictable twists, and an impressive lead performance from Austin Butler. The tone is a far cry from Aronofsky’s previous films, but I actually prefer this more controlled, accessible style. His creative flourishes here are impressively controlled, resulting in the perfect balance between abstract and concrete storytelling. It’s a fun, smart, exciting film that I’d recommend to anyone who isn’t squeamish. Unfortunately, it’s already destined to be another top-notch, best-of-the-year release that tanks at the box office, leaving audiences who, at most, see three movies a year to inevitably complain about how “Hollywood doesn’t release anything original anymore!” It’s a film that’s exactly what they’ve been asking for, and guess what? Nobody’s paying to see it. If we want Hollywood to fund the original projects we’re always asking for, we should probably support them when they do get made. We’re sending mixed messages. I’m starting to feel like we’re the idiots, not Hollywood. B+