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Readtime: 5 min
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Based on Charlie Huston’s 2004 debut cult crime novel, Caught Stealing follows Austin Butler’s Hank, a washed-up former baseball prospect turned bartender. His life spins violently out of control after a favour for a neighbour sets off a series of unfortunate events—involving everything from Russian mobsters to drug dealers, hidden loot, and fake poop. And all Hank had to do was watch the guy’s cat.
This is director Darren Aronofsky’s grittiest work in years and a thrill ride that still manages to pack an emotional punch. We tend to think of Aronofsky as a serious director tackling big, thought-provoking topics, but Caught Stealing is a refreshing reminder that the filmmaker behind Black Swan and The Whale still knows how to cut loose.
The result is a kinetic, grunge-covered love letter to a pre-gentrified NYC in the late ’90s. It has the kind of lived-in texture that only a native New Yorker could conjure, taking Aronofsky back to his Pi and Requiem for a Dream roots.
Triple Threat
At the centre of the chaos is Butler, who swaps Presley swagger and Dune menace for something more relatable. Hank is broke, broken and barely keeping it together. Butler wears that quiet unravelling well, while continuing to prove he’s a bona fide leading man. The role demanded strong physicality, and Butler showed up (with thanks from personal-training service Roydian).
In addition to tackling a lot of his own stunts, like hanging out of a window six stories up, Butler brings vulnerability and comic timing to a role that called for all three. He gets support from a stacked cast, including Zoë Kravitz as the girl Friday caught in his downward spiral and Benito Martínez Ocasio (aka Bad Bunny) as a flashy drug dealer named Colorado. Matt Smith is Russ, the punk neighbour whose cat sets the whole plot in motion.
There’s also Griffin Dunne as Hank’s burnt-out boss; a knowing nod to After Hours, another movie about one man’s very bad night in New York City. And then there’s Bud (mostly played by a street-cat-turned-show-cat named Tonic), who steals every scene he’s in.
Nostalgic Grit
New York itself is the film’s secret weapon. Shot on location across the Lower East Side, Chinatown, Brighton Beach, and Flushing Meadows, the city feels vibrant, ugly and alive. Aronofsky and production designer Mark Friedberg bring grime back to LES with graffiti-covered storefronts and cameos from long-lost NYC icons like Benny’s Burritos and Kim’s Video.
The camera work (courtesy of Aronofsky’s long-time DP, Matthew Libatique) is the best kind of controlled chaos. A drone shot through the Manhattan Bridge had to be approved by the NYPD and the New York City Department of Transportation.
Aronofsky Unleashed
Caught Stealing won’t be for everyone—it’s violent, blaring, and kinda weird—but that’s the point. Set to a feral score composed by Rob Simonsen and original songs performed by British post-punk icons Idles, Hank’s wild ride has a pounding pulse. It’s unpredictable and occasionally unhinged—but never forgets to have fun. It’s also a character piece in disguise; Hank was beaten long before the movie started. But speaking of being beat up, Aronofsky manages to make the violence feel real.
These hits leave a mark, and not everyone gets up swinging. It’s a nice change from the action movies where regular Joes take hits like superheroes. If there’s a flaw, it’s that Caught Stealing occasionally threatens to spin out, but if you can hang tight and not sweat the details, it’s a terrific trip. Like the punk scene it celebrates, Caught Stealing is messy, loud and proud of it.
★★★★
Caught Stealing hit Australian cinemas on 28 August 2025. Produced and directed by Darren Aronofsky, from a screenplay written by Charlie Huston, the film follows Henry “Hank” Thompson, a bartender living on the Lower East Side, whose life is turned upside down after a case of mistaken identity. The film stars Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Benito Martínez Ocasio, Griffin Dunne, and Carol Kane.
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