REVIEW: ‘Caught Stealing’ Marks An Exciting Pivot for Darren Aronofsky

Caught Stealing marks an important transition point for both its star and director. For Austin Butler, after his chameleonic turns in Elvis, Dune: Part Two, and Eddington, he gets to put his proper leading man chops to the test. Perhaps more importantly, though, equally acclaimed and disparaged provocateur filmmaker Darren Aronofsky (The Whale) gets to play in a whole new sandbox: the action-comedy. Sort of. A difficult film to define, Caught Stealing blends pulse-pounding thriller, pitch-black comedy, and a gutting exploration of guilt into a strange mixture that works far better than it should. 

Based on a novel by Charlie Huston, Caught Stealing transports audiences back to 1998 New York City. Former baseball player Henry “Hank” Thompson has made a comfortable little life for himself. He has a steady job moonlighting as a bartender, a burgeoning relationship with Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz), and near-daily phone calls with his mother that more often than not end with a “Go Giants!” sign-off. His little piece of dingy NYC paradise starts to go awry when his punk neighbor, Russ (Matt Smith), asks him to watch his cat, Bud, while he leaves the country to care for his ailing father.

What starts as a simple cat-sitting assignment goes sideways fast when a group of goons arrives looking for Russ. After enduring a brutal beating by them, Harry tries to go to the authorities. His attempt at getting some sort of answer plunges him headfirst into the raging waters of crime, organized and not so much, in Manhattan. The Russian mob, a mysterious detective (Regina King), and two Hasidic Jewish brothers (Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio) all circle Harry as he tries to find his footing amidst the chaos. For if he doesn’t, everyone close to him could be in danger. 

Darren Aronofsky steps outside of his comfort zone in tackling a new genre, and it is refreshing.

In The Bikeriders, Austin Butler could summon a swoon just by pulling up a chair. Therefore, it should be no surprise that Austin Butler is magnificent in Caught Stealing. He simply commands attention every time he enters the frame. Harry is an affable, unendingly charismatic guy, whose shaggy nature and bad habits can be excused with a well-placed smile or joke. His steamy scenes with a woefully underused Zoë Kravitz (The Batman) best exemplify the appeal of his “dirtbag with a heart of gold” charm.

Assisted by a punchy screenplay for Charlie Huston himself, Butler reveals more layers to Harry. Namely, a deep pang of guilt that sits dormant in his soul, aching to get out. When the wild events of the plot push down on him, Harry’s attempts to suppress that guilt with his chill demeanor give way to something desperate, perpetually beaten down, and unimpeachably compelling. 

Charlie Huston’s screenplay for Caught Stealing spins an impressively unpredictable yarn. What starts as somewhat of a hangout spirals into an endless maelstrom of incident after incident, each exciting in its own way. One never knows whether Harry’s next scene will involve violence or a calm conversation; an upturn in fortune or a devastating blow. This sort of uneasy footing leaves the audience in a permanent state of stress, wanting to look away yet drawn to lean forward. 

Caught Stealing keeps viewers on their toes, taking unpredictable twists and turns throughout.

A lion’s share of the credit goes to director Darren Aronofsky. Aronofsky is known for making films that create a visceral sensation throughout. Now, while Caught Stealing may not feature the same level of suffocating atmosphere as, say, mother! or the level of austere perfection conjured by Black Swan, Aronofsky-lite is still ahead of the pack in tonal mastery. In a way, Darren Aronofsky feels more free here than ever. By relinquishing the pretense of creating an important, transgressive piece of art and instead going for pure entertainment, Aronofsky seems to be having the time of his life. 

Caught Stealing is a high-powered locomotive, starting slow until picking up steam and barreling through one piece of hijinks to the next. Any good locomotive needs a great crew, and Aronofsky’s is up to the challenge. From dingy shoot-outs in a bar to a jaw-dropping sequence where the camera swoops between two tall apartment buildings to find Austin Butler climbing a fire escape, cinematographer Matthew Libatique is on fire here. Moreover, editor Andrew Weisblum maintains an erratic rhythm that keeps the blood flowing, while post-punk Idles presents a score that adds another shade to Caught Stealing‘s illustrious character. 

Darren Aronofsky maintains an interesting tonal balance, where the increasingly ridiculous and hyper-violent hijinks Harry gets into inspire laughs more than gasps, in a good way. Aronofsky is in full mischief-maker mode, while deftly handling Harry’s pain. As he’s known for capitalizing on misery in his films, it’s surprising that the film so tenderly handles the guilt Harry holds in his heart without exploiting tragedy. This approach allows the film to have its cake and eat it too, with the perpetually punished Aronofsky protagonist still very much in play, without darkness swallowing up the rest of the film.

Side characters are varied and plentiful, but can be a bit distracting at times in an already wild ride. 

If there is a downside to Caught Stealing‘s many virtues, it’s that in all the grimy mess, the actual specifics of the MacGuffin of the story get a little lost in the cast of colorful side characters. Even that, though, is a compliment to Huston’s writing of these characters and their performances. Regina King can switch from comforting to steely in a second’s notice.

Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio are disarmingly calm yet funny characters with a capacity for random extreme violence that makes their scenes some of the film’s most fun to watch. And, following in his oddly show-stopping performance in Happy Gilmore 2, Benito Martínez Ocasio, AKA Bad Bunny, adds another notch to his acting belt as a very convincing mobster. That’s not even bringing up Matt Smith’s thoroughly unhinged punk rocker.

While it may be rough-around-the-edges, that’s kind of the key to Caught Stealing‘s charm. Its blend of anxiety-inducing NYC crime thriller, dark comedy, and tragedy makes a cinematic stew with a little extra zip than American moviegoers are used to. Darren Aronofsky exits his self-serious era by going for marquee entertainment, and Austin Butler cements his all-but-already-guaranteed movie star bona fides. 

Caught Stealing is the kind of movie that gets one excited about the power of the movies. Whether this film leads to sequels following Charlie Huston’s sequel novels or not, it’s clear that Caught Stealing brings out the best in its assembled talent. In other words, we need more of what everyone brings to the table here.

Caught Stealing is in theaters on August 29, 2025.