Caught Stealing Lands on Its Feet with Butler—and a Cat

Caught Stealing

★ ★ ★

Caught Stealing, Darren Aronofski’s latest, is a gritty crime thriller that feels like it could have unspooled at a 1990s indie festival—raw, unpolished and daring. Films from this era leaned gritty, defying traditional formulas, and in doing so, arguably reshaped cinema’s future. Though shot digitally, Aronofski overlays film grain in post, evoking the rough texture of 35mm—or even Super 16mm—celluloid. It lends to the visceral brutality this film presents.

Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) is dealing with the loss of his baseball career after a tragic accident. He lives in New York City and works at a bar where he’s well-liked by the regulars and the bar’s owner, Paul (Griffin Dunne). From the start, Hank’s easy to like. He’s trying to heal from tragedy and does his damnedest to put his best foot forward. He’s even got a girlfriend named Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz) who cares enough to hold him to task, and he’s wise enough to listen—knowing he’s got a great thing going with her.

Zoe Kravitz as Yvonne and Austin Butler as Hank
© 2025 Columbia Pictures

If Yvonne has one gripe, it’s Hank’s near-daily calls to his mother—a habit she secretly finds endearing. Hank’s a good boy, and she knows that’s a rare thing.

His world is turned upside down when Russ (Matt Smith), his mohawked, punk-rock neighbor says he has to go to London to visit his ailing father who just had a massive heart attack. Russ forces Hank to look after his cat named Bud (Tonic the Cat). Soon, the Russian mob comes pounding at Russ’ door. When Hank confronts them, he takes a brutal, almost primeval beat-down that lands him in the hospital and costs him a kidney.

Regina King as Detective Roman and Austin Butler as Hank
© 2025 Columbia Pictures

Hank had kept the burn of his past contained, but the hospital stay—and what follows—pours gasoline on the fire. He does his best to hang onto his good nature while navigating NYPD Detective Roman’s (Regina King) investigation and trying to outwit the Russian Mafia, the Hasidic Mafia and a Puerto Rican gangster.

All this while keeping Bud safe.

The title may sound misleading, but it carries a double edge. While Hank hasn’t himself stolen anything, he becomes unknowingly involved with stolen goods and those who desperately want them back. The title also nods to Hank’s struggle to reclaim the life ripped away from him—the accident that stole the very basis beneath him, along with his shot at Major League Baseball.

Liev Schreiber as Lipa, Austin Butler as Hank and Vincent D’Onofrio as Shmully
© 2025 Columbia Pictures

The film’s brutality grabs hold of Hank’s life and never lets go. To Hank’s credit, he does everything he can to keep his humanity intact, which he mostly manages to do.

At times, the pacing drags—side plots pull focus without moving the story forward. With tighter pacing, this could have been a near-perfect slice of grungy crime.

It’s Butler’s acting that saves the film from itself. Even when the film lags, Butler never loosens his grip—captivating, endearing, impossible to shake. He’s the kind of protagonist we want to root for—down, but never out. Butler keeps Hank real and relatable and manages to make him more likeable as things get harder.

Austin Butler as Hank
© 2025 Columbia Pictures

Around the last third of the film, Hank has to carry Bud around with him—the only way to keep him safe. Tonic the cat is one of the most well-trained, on-screen cats I’ve ever seen. Aronofski manages to capture reactions from Bud that make him a standout character. If Butler weren’t so magnetic, Tonic the cat might have stolen the whole damn show, whiskers and all.

Caught Stealing doesn’t offer us anything we haven’t already seen in the criminal underworld, but that’s okay. It gives us likeable, relatable characters that manage to overcome the film’s slower moments.

So if a neighbor with a mohawk ever drops his cat on you, steer clear of the Russian mob—and guard your kidneys.