‘Caught Stealing’ review: Darren Aronofsky and Austin Butler deliver slick, sexy thriller
With an arsenal of hits from Requiem for a Dream to Black Swan, any Darren Aronofsky release is met with hot anticipation, and Caught Stealing is no different.
Starring Austin Butler, Zoe Kravitz and Matt Smith, this tightly compact thriller delivers on multiple fronts.
Film News Blitz co-founder Dan Lawrence shares why this film was a refreshing breath of fresh air.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What is ‘Caught Stealing’ about?
Caught Stealing finds forgotten high school baseball prodigy Hank Thompson (Butler) working in a bar, set in the backdrop of 1997 New York.
Thompson is likeable, but has unresolved trauma that he treats with alcohol and a loving partner: Zoe Kravitz’s Yvonne.
But Thompson’s world gets turned upside down when his punk neighbour, Russ, played by the enigmatic Matt Smith, asks him to cat sit while he sees his dying father back in England.
With Russ in the wind, and Hank looking after the beautiful feline Bud, everything goes from zero to 100.
Hank’s life descends into chaos and violence as he is ensnared in a tangled web of gang rivalries and police scrutiny over lost drug money.
What makes ‘Caught Stealing’ a good film?
Caught Stealing works for several reasons.
First, Caught Stealing’s time and place setting make for a stylish backdrop, exemplified by Butler’s effortlessly cool charisma.
The ensemble cast around Butler shines, his chemistry with Kravitz fizzes, and Smith brings humour and chaotic energy in abundance.
The likes of Regina King, Bad Bunny, Liev Schreiber and Vincent D'Onofrio all help to elevate this fun flick.
What’s more, Butler’s charm and strength as a leading man immediately enamours you to Hank’s strife, and you live every desperate twist in his story with empathy, intrigue and interest.
The shocking violence, sharp humour, and twists are bundled into a fast-paced film, wrapped up in an hour and 45 minutes.
This runtime is blissful.
Far too often, cinematic experiences exceed the two-hour mark, and having the essentials stripped away in Caught Stealing is a welcome relief.
What’s more, Tonic the cat actor steals every scene he’s in as the handsome Bud, whose well-being will have your emotions going to and fro throughout.
In a world where cinema releases are dominated by IP, franchises and films of a massive scale, Caught Stealing is a welcome reprisal of the mid-budget feature that dominated the decade in which it is set.
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