Caught Stealing (2025)

If you didn't know who directed Caught Stealing going into it, you sure as hell wouldn't have been able to guess it if you hadn't been told. Darren Aronofsky, the man behind such mindfucks as Requiem for a Dream (2000), Mother! (2017), and Pi (1998) takes the reins here for what essentially could have been a Jason Statham vehicle.

That's not to discredit Statham or Caught Stealing, but it is a truly bizarre concept trying to get your head around Aronofsky's decision to take this on. Based on Charlie Huston's violent crime novel of the same name from 2004, Caught Stealing stars Austin Butler as former baseball pro Hank, whose life has become something of a washed up mess since a car crash left him with a knee not fit for purpose in regards to his dreams of becoming a baseball legend. He spends his days drinking and sleeping with Zoe Kravitz's Yvonne, who appears to be his on/off girlfriend, and his neighbour is Matt Smith's punk mohawk haired Russ- who one day palms his cat off on Hank shouting that he has to leave.

Shortly after he does so, Russians turn up at Russ' apartment clearly looking for something- which Hank unknowingly has- and all hell breaks loose. Just like the Coen Brother's Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), our main character must take a cat on his travels, and the cat (which is gorgeous) provides much of the comic relief- and yet this is a good reason as to why the film doesn't hang together. We shouldn't be relying on a cat for our connection to the characters. Inside Llewyn Davis, in fact, doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy Caught Stealing though. It's frantic from start to finish, with no let up in its action or time to process what's going on- if there was you'd probably spend more time picking holes in it. Regina King turns up as a New York Police officer and nearly steals the film from everyone around her, while Butler is eminently likeable despite his character being a bit of waster.

Matt Smith is far from terrible but he doesn't get enough to do- and when he does, his character is just a bit baffling. You simply don't care enough, and the plot contrivances come so thick and fast it's both frustrating yet almost a relief that the the frenetic pace doesn't let up and you can move onto the next action sequence.

Caught Stealing is a real headscratcher of a film. Not because it's confusing- it's anything but. It's easily the simplest film Aronofsky has ever done. But why? The film needs to be far better than it is for us to not have to ask that question. I happily spent a couple of hours just enjoying the nonsense unfurling in front of me, but as soon as it finished I was just left rather baffled.

The fact that Caught Stealing was being advertised and promoted on Talk Sport probably tells you exactly what you need to know- with the greatest respect, most of the people listening to Talk Sport have probably never heard of Darren Aronofsky- but they would certainly know Jason Statham, and probably enjoy Caught Stealing.

That sort of sums up the film rather well I'd say. 6.0/10