Caught Stealing

I went into Caught Stealing with some hope, but came out disappointed. The plot was dreadful - bleak, depressing, and dragging to the point where I actually nodded off in the cinema (which is extremely rare for me). That alone says a lot about the pacing and engagement.

The ending didn't feel satisfying either; it wasn't even lazily wrapped up, just left hanging in a way that felt frustrating rather than thought-provoking.

On the positive side, Matt Smith delivered an excellent performance during his brief screen time - easily the highlight of the film. It's a shame he wasn't given more to do.

Overall, I can't recommend this one. Five stars is generous, purely because of Matt Smith and a few scattered moments, but the film as a whole felt like a slog.

Essentially a throwback to pulpy 90s thrillers, Darren Aronofsky's 'Caught Stealing (2025)' is the kind of mid-budget, character-driven, star-studded movie they just don't make anymore. To be clear, they don't make these anymore not because they can't (or because "everything's too PC these days", which it honestly isn't - I mean, just look at the US President), but because they've created an environment in which this sort of thing just isn't viable. "They", of course, refers to the Hollywood studios who have basically split the marketplace into uber-expensive blockbusters and uber-cheap indie flicks with nothing in-between, pushed IP above talent or star power, decided that only certain types of film play in the cinema for the appropriate amount of time, and constantly wonder where they went wrong and why they keep losing money on tentpole pictures that make over $100 million dollars but still can't recuperate their mammoth production budgets. Regardless of the reasons it's so rare, it's lovely to see something like this on the big screen, a narrative so unconcerned with sequels or cameos that it can afford to be lean, mean and relatively unpredictable. This New York-set novel adaptation sizzles with a punky energy that's only outmatched by its delightfully irreverent end credits (if the movie itself had even half the scream-in-your-face intensity of its scrolling end sequence, it would surely be one of the most intense Hollywood movies in recent years). Anchored by a surprisingly 'normal man' performance from Austin Butler, who grounds what constantly threatens to be a ridiculous narrative and acts as an emotional lifeline for the far zanier actors he's surrounded by, the feature sprints forward at its own self-assured pace and forces you to chase it, leaving a bloody trail of named-character bodies in its wake and barely taking a second to acknowledge the dangerous zig-zagging route it takes you on. With an unwieldly tone but a steady hand, the film remains engaging and enjoyable for its majority. It feels like it wants to primarily be fun, but it's actually quite gruelling in its own way because it's incredibly violent, bleak and coated in an almost tangible layer of dirt that reflects its atmosphere and setting. It is entertaining, for sure, but it's never as much of a flippantly callous blast as it seems to think it is. It's too mean to be unmitigated fun, but it's zippy and zesty and especially well-made for the kind of souped-up B-movie it ultimately is. It's a really good effort, one that feels like a throwback both in its period setting and in its overall vibe. It's a bit of a weird one for Aronofsky to do, but it proves that he's ultimately just a film fan like the rest of us. Not everything needs to have thematic weight or a specific point, nor does it need to push the boundaries of style or feel wholly unique. Sometimes it's okay to be caught stealing from the past, to create something that doesn't blow the world away but would have been steadily rented from Blockbuster nevertheless. This is an entertaining experience from beginning to end, and it's surprisingly refreshing considering how basic it undeniably is. It's actually pretty great.

Caught Stealing is definitely a departure for Darren Aronofsky but in the least exciting ways. It's full of familiar tropes and story beats we've seen before but Aronofsky just doesn't do much of anything to differentiate it or raise the script above feeling so generic. It's entertaining here and there but overall there wasn't much of a personality on display.

Because I kept waiting for the film to come into its own and give me a hint as to why Aronofsky was drawn to this story and it honestly just never came. Every new character feels increasingly more one-noted and the whole plot that the Austin Butler character gets dragged into is disappointingly straight forward. Austin Butler is great and I liked the fact that the movie never lost sight of this being a truly normal character totally out of his depth and they never took a convoluted jump with his skill set which I appreciated. He has a self destructive nature that I never really felt came to ahead and where they leave him off didn't really feel that set up to be a satisfying conclusion Honestly it felt like it was trying to set up a sequel that I doubt is ever going to happen.

It's a really stacked cast over all but the colourful characters the trailers teased never really come about on screen and ended up feeling like a massive waste of some amazing talent. Zoe Kravitz has great chemistry with Butler but her character just fizzles out of the narrative after a while and she just ends up feeling like the standard girlfriend archetype. Matt Smith doesn't get much to do after an intriguing set up and Regina King is let down by the writing of a character who feels like she belongs in a different movie. Liev Schreiber and Vincent D'Onofrio end up feeling like the only ones who get real characters to play and the script actually capitalises on their potential. The energy of the whole film just shoots up every time they're on screen and a development surrounding those two characters raised the third act up quite a bit higher for me.

While not perfect the first half is where the movie most captivated me. It really does effectively put you in this period and it's where the chemistry between Butler and Kravitz is on full display and the film is all the better for it. It's got a lot of that signature Aronofsky griminess and the violence is a lot more effective than I expected it to be. But as soon as it's revealed what all these characters are fighting over it just never truly regained my interest. The pacing slows down as the few characters I like have their appearances cut down and there's very few surprises. It's well directed but the visuals are surprisingly flat and the pacing just lagged on more and more as the runtime went on.

Caught Stealing isn't a bad movie but it's middling in the most disappointing ways and sometimes that's so much worse. I kept waiting for the movie to do anything to set its self apart and not only did it never come but the more it went on the more surprised I was to see this many people of this calibre attached to something so without its own identity. I don't mind familiar beats but this film doesn't do anything interesting with them and nothing about the craft on display improves the final product. A departure for Aronofsky without a doubt but not a satisfying one.

The film is lacking. All the actors are doing their best (or good enough) but there is little to nothing to work with.

The beats are so familiar, the plot is trying too hard and there is zero emotional depth to any of it. The Austin Butler character is so flat and features zero nuance, such little complexity that I found myself frustrated at so many opportunities missed to add an interesting wrinkle.

The saving grace is that there is clearly talent involved in making the film so it's not a disaster. But I honestly would have preferred a terrible movie because it would have been less frustrating and easier to laugh at.

TLDR: Not interesting or different enough to pay for in theaters. Worth trying on streaming if you're a fan of any of the actors or find yourself curious.

I caught an advanced screening of Caught Stealing (2025) in theaters this evening. The storyline follows a California transplant living in New York who agrees to watch his neighbor's cat while the man is away caring for his sick father. Soon, a series of strangers begin showing up at his apartment, demanding to know his neighbor's whereabouts, and subjecting him to brutal beatings and torture in the process. What are they after-and can he find a way to help them before he, and everyone he knows, ends up dead?

This picture is directed by Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) and stars Austin Butler (Elvis), Zoë Kravitz (The Batman), Matt Smith (House of the Dragon), Liev Schreiber (Scream), and Regina King (The Harder They Fall).

The story is clever and unpredictable, often feeling like a Guy Ritchie crime caper-but rooted deeply in a gritty, authentic New York setting. The cast delivers elite performances, and the plot is packed with sharp twists and turns. The cinematography and camera angles are equally impressive, enhancing the tension and style throughout.

The action is top-tier: abrupt fight scenes, thrilling car chases, sudden bursts of gore, and intense shootouts that all land with impact. Even the subplots, particularly those tied to the chases and crashes, are smartly executed. The ending is immensely satisfying, and the soundtrack is brilliant.

In conclusion, Caught Stealing isn't perfect, but it's an unpredictable and worthwhile rollercoaster of violence, intensity, and action. I'd score it a strong 7.5-8/10 and strongly recommend it.