Image Credit: Protozoa Pictures, Caught Stealing (2025)

From American director Darren Aronofsky comes his latest creation, Caught Stealing (2025): an action-packed film that takes the everyday life of a bartender and spins it on its head after the simple request of watching his neighbour’s cat goes awry.

The film strays from Aronofsky’s typical creative interworking with the surreal and heavy back catalogue, including the works of Black Swan (2010) and The Whale (2022). Instead, it offers a film that invites you into a world of seduction and humor which is based on a screenplay by Charlie Huston, who adapted their 2004 novel.

Paired with performances from the likes of Austin Butler and Zoë Kravitz as the lead pair, the project was able to capture a wide audience, with the dynamic between the two leads being at the heart of the film.

Both are actors known for dedicating themselves to the roles that they have taken on, and this is no exception, as you are brought into a completely believable world by the pair and are able to see glimmers of their past and their struggles with just what is visually depicted on screen. There’s a shared history that can be found even in their glances and in the way that they speak to each other in casual conversation. It’s an environment that feels lived in and characters that feel as though they have breathed history when entering the timeline of the film. 

What begins as sexual tension that is not taken seriously, eventually builds as a motivation for the main character to get serious. It’s here that Butler’s character is able to grow and begin to want to build a life for himself outside of the things that he has been through.

Having been slated to be a professional baseball player under the training of his mom, who he is still in regular contact with, the bartender was set for stardom until a tragic accident that led to the death of his best friend and fellow player and lost him his spot in the field after an injury. Plagued with nightmares of the incident, he turns to alcohol and daily phone calls with his mother, making sure not to miss an opportunity to talk about the sport despite what he lost. 

In the midst of all the action presented in the film, some of the strongest scenes are the ones that take place within the intimacy of each other’s respective apartments; offering moments of lightness, like seeing who can get undressed the fastest, and pairing that with the respective vices that the two partake in outside of each other.

However, the stakes quickly get high when it is revealed that multiple gangs are in search of money that the neighbor was responsible for, leaving behind unfinished business for the Butler’s character to have to speak for.

What ensues is a whirlwind of injured kidneys and a key hidden in a litter box. The film does a good job of leaving the viewer in the dark along with the lead character and taking you on the roller coaster that he is forced upon. Add in a beloved cat, and what’s not to like?

The main character, Hank Thompson, truly is able to bring a level of intelligence and depth to the role that certainly adds charm to the story at hand. What could have been a more simple character who is just your average bartender is instead more complex, with both a softness and a sharp background that people wouldn’t expect.

Despite having very lovable characters and an interesting plot, where the film goes wrong is that it kills off its potential for tension too fast, allowing the stakes to build too high and allowing them to fall just as fast.

 This begins with the death of Kravitz’s character, Yvonne, in the early runtime which kills off the one dynamic that viewers have been able to become invested in and root for before we even get enough time to see their investment stably take shape. 

With her character gone, the humanity that made the main character more likable takes him off his journey of growth far too soon.

Eventually, after a lot of back and forth, with even the investigator on the case being wrapped up in these crimes, the lead character does eventually get in touch with his neighbour after he comes back and pushes him to settle the score.

While the later runtime does have many likable moments with Butler’s character growing very protective of the cat that he has been left to look after and an impressive ability to do some agile moves considering his injuries, the film’s pacing lacks the ability to allow the audience to settle into the people we are meant to care for.

One thing that the film does well is it offers some gorgeous cinematography and some interesting moral questions, including seeing corruption that can happen within the law. It truly begs the question of how far people will go for greed and whether the things we want truly fulfill us.

Because of the prior missteps, the ending of the film, despite the lead having to reconcile with his past, truly falls flat and leaves the ability to tie some of that off with the introduction of his mother dangling.

With the novel traditionally being known for the grit that it brings to the table, I think this adaptation did a great job of bringing a more fun spin to the previously adapted work. It’s clear that Aronofsky had a masterful vision when it came to the actual direction for the visuals of the film.

It is still worth your while if you’re looking for a fun time, but when it comes to emotional delivery that would have been possible for the project, it simply doesn’t deliver. 

For fans of things that don’t dig into the depths, it could be the perfect mix, offering just enough to leave you invested without getting caught up in the emotional world of its characters.