The entertaining whirlwind that is Caught Stealing (2025) is the result of crushed dreams and brutal miscommunication. All it takes for Hank Thompson (played by Austin Butler) to compromise his baseball-loving, mother-calling, innocence is a few shots of alcohol and a cat that bites.

Caught Stealing proved to be more impressive than the trailer had led me to believe, especially with the directing hands of Darren Aronofsky. My familiarity with Aronofsky’s work is limited to his themes of psychological surrealism, such as Mother! and Black Swan. In contrast to these signature elements, the crime thriller is rooted in reality with tangible, bloodshedding consequences. Nonetheless, Aronofsky maintains his ability to hold the audience’s attention with directing, through explicit portrayal of violence and energetic scenes that keep up with the high-concept action genre. 

The film’s writer, Charlie Huston, is significantly known for his novels that depict the “unknowable dangers of the future”. Caught Stealing is an adaptation of a Huston’s book under the same title that takes place in New York, 1998. Not only does Huston’s story offer unpredictability and thrill, but it fuses well with Aronofsky’s visceral directing style. The writing is quippy and punchy without any cheesy one-liners, but contains moments of comical ones. Almost every scene incorporates tasteful back and forth between characters, building tension and misdirection in dialogue that keeps viewers from spending time trying to think about what twist is to come. The fast-paced plot leaves no room for the audience to make predictions, keeping you invested in the urgency of the conversation.

Austin Butler plays a former high school baseball player with a golden retriever personality: loyal to his neighbors, mother, and the San Francisco Giants. His performance is dynamic and adaptable with an emotional range fit for the role. Butler’s chemistry with Zoe Kravitz is also palpable; it achieves a character relationship strong enough to be a good couple’s Halloween costume. Other notable performances include acting vets like Regina Hall and acting newbies like Benito Ocasio (most popularly known as Bad Bunny). Ocasio’s performances within the last few years have successfully integrated the Latin pop star into the film world, and his role in Caught Stealing has solidified his ability to play gritty, intimidating characters.

Overall, the film is high-concept with a plot that is easily marketable and appealing to the general public. There is depth in the story if you look for it, but on the surface, it is simply an enjoyable, thrilling action that is delivered in a way that is digestible yet unpredictable, filled with cleverly placed dark humor. The way Aronofsky’s directing coincides with Huston’s story keeps the audience engaged and invested without dragging. Caught Stealing is a concise attempt at the crime thriller genre, totaling at only about an hour and forty-seven minutes, so it may feel a bit fast for some viewers. It is repetitive to say that it is an Aronofsky film, as it leans more towards larger audiences and is formulaic in structure, but Huston’s story was significantly amplified through the director’s creative vision. 

3.5/5 stars

Caught Stealing is fun, dark, and thrilling with a story that induces eagerness and anxiety, but somehow, throughout the violence and misconceptions, you know the whole time that everything will end up okay.