CAUGHT STEALING is a 2025 dark comedy crime thriller film directed by Academy Award® nominee Darren Aronofsky, from a screenplay by Charlie Huston, based on his book of the same name.
Former high-school baseball phenom Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined.
The cast includes Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Griffin Dunne, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, and Carol Kane.
CAUGHT STEALING made its debut in theaters August 29th, courtesy of Sony Pictures.
There is no denying the sheer talent of director Darren Aronofsky, the dude is a legit visionary. When he tells a story, you better believe that story is going to hit hard, for better or for worse. His work can be very intense, a great example is the 2010 psychological drama Black Swan. Fantastic movie don’t get me wrong, but man that movie just messed with my head to the point where I had to take a break from watching it. His 2008 sports drama The Wrestler was amazing, the 2017 psychological horror thriller Mother! was wild, and his 2022 award-winning drama film THE WHALE (our full review here) was just on another level. So I guess what I am trying to say is his films are always really good, but an argument can be made that some of them are not for everyone. When CAUGHT STEALING was first announced I was very intrigued by Aronofsky working with talented actor Austin Butler, and when the first trailer dropped I was pumped because it just looked like my kind of movie.
I won’t beat around the bush, CAUGHT STEALING was so damn good and easily one of my favorite movies from Darren Aronofsky, giving it a slight edge over THE WHALE mainly because it was just more entertaining in my opinion. This is unapologetic 90’s era cinema that in many ways reminded me of Pulp Fiction, although I’m not going to sit here and try to compare the two because that is an all-time great film. CAUGHT STEALING is a stylish crime thriller film that is built around the characters and the circumstances they find themselves in.
Austin Butler plays Hank Thompson, a former baseball phenom who watched his lifelong dream get taken from him after he made a mistake that changed his life forever. Now a seemingly care-free and charismatic baseball obsessed guy working as a bartender at a dive bar in NYC, Hank seems content taking life one day at a time. But after his punk rock neighbor lures him into the criminal underbelly of the Big Apple, Hank becomes a very popular guy with the wrong people. Things quickly go from bad to worse for Hank as each decision he makes seems to drag him deeper and deeper into a hole he can’t find his way out of.
I really loved Austin Butler’s character and I was honestly mesmerized by his performance. It felt like one of those roles where an actor becomes a character to the point where you forget about anything else they have been in, which is quite an achievement for a guy who played Elvis. Butler just had this natural on-screen chemistry that audiences eat up, and he was a big reason why the movie was so damn good. No matter how bad things got he still seemed to have this dark sense of humor which made everything that much more entertaining.
The film had a great supporting cast as well, with a fantastic performance delivered by the sexy Zoë Kravitz. Kravitz has natural chemistry with Butler and in many ways she helps to balance out his character, serving as the person who is a bit more realistic and level-headed. My guy Griffin Dunne was awesome as he played the alcoholic drug adduct owner of the bar where Hank worked. The veteran actor who was amazing us Uncle Nicky in the drama series This Is Us, helped to keep the comedy alive and well in CAUGHT STEALING. Other notable performances were delivered by Regina King, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny. The cast was just great all-around.
Taking place in 90’s New York, CAUGHT STEALING just felt so damn authentic to that era and reminded me of so many movies set in the city during that time period. Director Darren Aronofsky is a native of New York City, so it makes sense that he wanted to capture the feel of that era with a genuine authenticity and man did he crush it. Aronofsky is so damn talented behind the camera and he brought the city to life. I was never bored and I just kept wanting more from CAUGHT STEALING. The movie absolutely flew by, and I honestly can’t wait to see it again. I also thought the technical elements of the film were a huge factor when it came to bringing 90’s New York City to life, and the soundtrack and cinematography was on point.
THE VERDICT
A character driven 90’s era crime drama packed with dark humor and featuring a fantastic performance from Austin Butler, Darren Aronofsky’s CAUGHT STEALING is vintage cinema and yet another gem from the supremely talented director. I am a big fan of 90’s era crime films and I commend Aronofsky for his ability to transport viewers back to this time period.
TED TAKES RATING - 9.3/10
CAUGHT STEALING is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.