| Caught Stealing | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Darren Aronofsky |
| Screenplay by | Charlie Huston |
| Based on | Caught Stealing by Charlie Huston |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Matthew Libatique |
| Edited by | Andrew Weisblum |
| Music by | |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 107 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $40–65 million |
| Box office | $32.5 million[2][3] |
Caught Stealing is a 2025 Americanblack comedycrime thriller film[4] directed byDarren Aronofsky and starringAustin Butler as a former starbaseball player-turned-bartender who unwittingly runs afoul ofNew York City'scriminal underbelly whilepet sitting for his neighbor.Regina King,Zoë Kravitz,Matt Smith,Liev Schreiber,Vincent D'Onofrio,Benito Martínez Ocasio,Griffin Dunne, andCarol Kane appear in supporting roles. The film is based on a2004 novel of the same name byCharlie Huston, who adapted it for the screenplay. The film'sscore was written byRob Simonsen and recorded by the Britishpost-punk bandIdles.[5]
Produced byColumbia Pictures in association withProtozoa Pictures,Caught Stealing was released in the United States bySony Pictures Releasing on August 29, 2025. The film has received generally positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Butler's performance and Aronofsky's direction. The film was abox-office bomb, grossing only $32.5 million against a $40–65 million budget.
In 1998, Henry "Hank" Thompson is a bartender living on theLower East Side. He calls his mother inPatterson, California, every day, especially to discuss their shared love of theSan Francisco Giants. Hank is haunted by a drunken car crash that killed his friend, ended his major league baseball ambitions, and left him with a dependency on alcohol.
Hank's neighbor Russ Miner is returning to London to see his ailing father, tasking Hank to care for his cat, Bud. Two Russian mobsters, Aleksei and Pavel, later arrive in search of Russ and viciously beat Hank to the point that he needs emergency surgery to remove his ruptured kidney. After the Russians break into Russ's apartment, narcotics detective Elise Roman questions Hank and reveals Russ is a drug dealer connected to the notoriousHasidic Drucker brothers. Finding a key hidden in Bud's litter box, Hank notifies Roman when the Druckers search Russ's apartment.
After getting drunk at Paul's Bar, Hank leaves his clothes outside his building. Interrogated by the Russians and their Puerto Rican associate Colorado, Hank cannot remember what happened to the key. Hank leaves the injured Bud with his girlfriend Yvonne and remembers taking the key to the bar. Chased by the Druckers, he informs Colorado, who mentions Yvonne. Suddenly realizing she is in danger, he races back to her apartment only to find she has been killed.
A guilt-stricken Hank confides in Roman, who tells him of her dreams of retiring toTulum before revealing herself to be in league with Colorado and the Russians. Roman claims that her gang are not the group responsible for Yvonne's murder. Hank is brought to Paul's Bar, where an altercation results in the killings of Amtrak and Colorado. Lying that the key is in the basement strongroom's safe, Paul retrieves a shotgun but is killed in the ensuing chaos. Hank locks himself in the strongroom, forcing the others to leave empty-handed.
Hank recovers the key from the homeless Jason, left in the clothes he abandoned. Russ returns home but is hit in the head with a baseball bat when Hank mistakes him for an intruder. Russ explains that after selling drugs for the Druckers in Colorado's nightclubs, he was forced to involve Roman, who owes money to the Russians' boss. The key unlocks a storage unit with just over $4 million he was meant to split between the various parties on the day he left for London. Fearing for his life, Russ prepares to take the money and flee the country, leaving Hank as thefall guy, but Hank knocks him unconscious.
Meeting with Roman and the Russians, Hank offers them Russ and the key in exchange for Bud. Russ panics and kills Aleksei before escaping with Hank and Bud, suggesting that Roman might have been the one who killed Yvonne. They get away on the subway, where Russ succumbs to his injuries. Hank spends the night onConey Island. Roman calls the following day, demanding he bring the key to the Russians'supper club, Hermitage, otherwise he will be framed for the several murders, and hints at killing his mother. After calling to warn her, Hank goes to see the Druckers. They agree to kill Roman in exchange for Hank leading them to the money.
As they arrive at the club, Hank is restrained to the steering wheel while the Druckers carry out shooting the place up. Hank breaks free when seeing Roman flee and chases her. He injures Roman by impaling her foot with the broken baseball bat handle, whereupon the Druckers arrive to kill her. Hank reveals where he hid the key, and the brothers decide to let him live with a share of the money. They force him to drive them home, when Hank notices that Lipa has Yvonne's lighter. Noticing his reaction to the lighter, the brothers admit they killed Yvonne to send a message to Hank for evading them. Hank purposefully crashes the car, this time killing the two brothers. Some time later, Hank escapes to Tulum while posing as Russ, even taking Bud with him, and mailing the other half of the money to his mother.
In 2013, screenwriterDavid Hayter was developing an adaptation ofCharlie Huston's trilogy of novels centered on the character of Hank Thompson, withPatrick Wilson set in the lead role.[6][7] A new film adaptation was reported to be in development atSony Pictures in March 2024, with Huston adapting their own novel,Darren Aronofsky directing,Austin Butler attached to star andProtozoa Pictures producing.[8] In July 2024,Zoë Kravitz andRegina King joined the cast in undisclosed roles.[9][10] In August,Matt Smith,Liev Schreiber, andBad Bunny were added to the cast,[11][12] withGriffin Dunne,Vincent D'Onofrio,D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, andAction Bronson joining the following month.[13][14][15][16] In December 2024, it was announced thatCarol Kane had joined the cast in a role where she mostly speaksYiddish.[17]
Principal photography began on September 5, 2024, in New York City.[18][19] The film had a net production budget of $40 million, with some estimates of total costs at $65 million.[20] The film'sscore was written byRob Simonsen and recorded by the Britishpost-punk bandIdles. According to lead singerJoe Talbot, the collaboration originated from a "chance backstage meeting" with Aronofsky while recording an episode ofThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, on which both had appeared as guests. The band also contributed five songs to the soundtrack, including a cover ofJunior Murvin's "Police and Thieves".[5]
Caught Stealing had its world premiere on August 7, 2025, inGuaynabo, Puerto Rico, atCaribbean Cinemas with director Darren Aronofsky in attendance, as well as Austin Butler and Bad Bunny, who is credited by his birth name, Benito A. Martínez Ocasio. The premiere was held in Puerto Rico to promote the island, as well as coinciding with Bad Bunny'ssold-out 30-date concert residency, being held about 8 miles away from the theater, which Aronofsky and Butler attended as Bad Bunny's VIP attendees.[21][22]
The film was released in the United States on August 29, 2025.[23]
As of October 2, 2025[update], the film has grossed $19 million in the United States and $12 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $32 million.[3][2]
The film made $1.2 million in Thursday night previews.[24] The film would make $9.6 million over the four-day Labor Day weekend, doing moderately well at the box office.[25]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 84% of 246 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "A freewheeling throwback,Caught Stealing splendidly showcases Austin Butler's movie star charisma while marking a surprisingly lighthearted gearshift for director Darren Aronofsky."[26]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[27] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[28]
