Cinephile No. 1,333 “Caught Stealing”
Recommendation: 4/5 Stars
Plot: “Burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson 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.” -IMDB
Review: Darren Aronofsky has given the world “The Whale,” “Mother,” “Noah,” “Black Swan,” “The Wrestler,” “The Fountain,” and so much more. He possesses a resume and wide-ranging talent that stretches from small indie films to blockbuster experiences. He has a style that is all his own. In a world where so much that fills cinema screens can feel like bad copies of bad copies, this is refreshing to me. Not everything he commits to film works, but I always salute his willingness to try something new and different. For this cinephile, he is one of a few directors that produces work that feels like required viewing.
For his latest film, “Caught Stealing,” starring Austin Butler, we are treated to another Aronofsky film that doesn’t feel like anything he has done before this. This film absolutely drips with a heightened level of sexiness and swagger that I haven’t seen in a long time. Without a doubt, this is an adult film made by adults for adults. It isn’t based on existing intellectual property or widely known characters. Instead, it is clever, dark, oddly hilarious, and sometimes utterly jaw-dropping.
Butler steals almost every scene as Hank Thompson, a burned-out baseball player, damned to a life of slinging drinks after a life-altering event that saw him lose his chance at the big leagues and one of his best friends in the same breath. Instead of chasing the pennant for his beloved San Francisco Giants, Hank is a bartender with a drinking problem, a girlfriend who feels like nothing more than a fling, living next to an obnoxious neighbor and his cat.
Hank, like lots of men, has never fully come to terms with the trauma he is carrying. All that he has lost seems to follow him everywhere he goes like a shadow. As this film evolves, this fact becomes abundantly clear. If this trauma wasn’t enough, Hank must deal with that obnoxious neighbor.
Russ (Matt Smith) is Hank’s neighbor, and he needs to head home to be with an ailing parent. While he is away, he asks (demands) Hank to look after his cat. Reluctantly, Hank agrees, but a feline friend isn’t the biggest challenge here. What is? It seems everyone is looking for Russ. This gives birth to a violent and repetitive game featuring Hank being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
With a cadre of neighboring and warring Jewish and Russian mobsters paired with dirty cops looking for whatever Russ is hiding, Hank finds himself caught in the crosshairs. In the heartbreaking wake of this misunderstanding, Hank will lose his girlfriend. He will be double-crossed. Deals will go bad. He will be taken advantage of more than once, and he will be beaten within inches of his life. All the while, he can do nothing but hope Russ returns.
When this film finds it footing, something that doesn’t take long, it unleashes pure chaos, and everything becomes death. Now, I will never spoil a film for you. Instead, I will say this. In so many ways, this film is a perfect snapshot of the 90s and so many films that came to dominate that decade. It is wonderfully confusing and sexy. It possesses more than enough plot twists to keep you guessing. It is violent. It is hilarious. It is surprisingly charming. It is another side to Austin Butler that will make you forget all about Elvis. Of all the films I have watched in 2025, it is one of the few action/comedies I cannot wait to watch again. In this day and age, that is high praise.
Be good to each other,
Nathan
As a member of the factory, you are taking a stand for human powered creation.
