A former star baseball player inadvertently collides with New York City’s criminal underbelly while pet-sitting for his neighbor in Caught Stealing. The film was recently released on 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray and DVD. The film has been available on Digital since late September.

Set in 1998, Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) is a once-promising baseball talent now bartending on the Lower East Side and calling his mother daily to talk Giants baseball. Still haunted by a drunk-driving crash that destroyed his career and sense of self, Hank is barely holding things together. When his neighbor Russ Miner (Matt Smith) asks him to watch his cat, the favor seems harmless—until two Russian mobsters, Aleksei (Yuri Kolokolnikov) and Pavel (Nikita Kukushkin), come looking for Russ and leave Hank badly beaten. Narcotics detective Elise Roman (Regina King) then arrives with unsettling questions, tying Russ to the notorious Drucker brothers, Lipa (Liev Schreiber) and Shmully (Vincent D’Onofrio).

Hank discovers a mysterious key hidden in the cat’s litter box, placing him directly in the crosshairs of the Russians, the Druckers, and Roman. A drunken night out leads him to misplace the key, and the situation worsens when his girlfriend Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz) is pulled into the danger. Hoping for answers, Hank turns to Roman—only to learn she’s secretly aligned with the criminals pursuing him, including the volatile Colorado (Benito Martínez Ocasio). Blood is shed at Paul’s Bar, pulling in Paul (Griffin Dunne) and Amtrak (Action Bronson), while Hank retrieves the key from the homeless Jason (Will Brill). Confronting Russ, he learns how deeply Russ has been entangled in drug-running and money drops.

As the rival factions close in, Hank attempts to negotiate by offering up Russ and the key, but the deal implodes when Russ panics and kills Aleksei. Hank, Russ, and the cat Bud flee briefly, though Russ’s injuries—and his confessions—add further layers to the criminal puzzle surrounding Roman. Roman then threatens to pin multiple murders on Hank unless he cooperates, even implying his mother may be targeted. Backed into a corner, Hank approaches the Drucker brothers, who propose eliminating Roman if Hank leads them to the money. What follows pushes Hank deeper into a violent standoff where every alliance is temporary and every promise suspect.

The final stretch becomes a tense scramble among Hank, Roman, and the Druckers, with shifting motives and long-buried truths rising to the surface—including unsettling revelations about who has really been pulling strings. As bodies fall and loyalties disintegrate, Hank seizes a narrow and costly path out.

After missing Caught Stealing in theaters, I needed two viewings at home to really appreciate it for what it is. To be fair, my focus was off during that first viewing, partly because I had just checked out the Nova Exhibition earlier in the day. When you take in something so emotionally powerful, it’s bound to have an impact, and I really shouldn’t have watched a black-comedy crime thriller right afterward. Cut to a few weeks later and, lo and behold, the film worked much better once my attention span had recovered.

One thing that didn’t work for me in Caught Stealing is Hank discovering that Yvonne was executed in cold blood. It remains one of my biggest gripes with the film. Her character is fridged, as comic book writer Gail Simone coined the term. It’s as bad as the films and TV shows that succumb to the “bury your gays” trope. Yvonne does absolutely nothing to earn this death and yet she gets killed off anyway.

Austin Butler brings the necessary depth and complexity to the role. He also gets the chance to showcase his ability with stunt work. If you thought he carried too much of the Elvis voice into Dune: Part Two or The Bikeriders, the nice thing about Caught Stealing is that his voice has more or less returned to normal—or whatever “normal” is required for the role.

As for the Drucker brothers, Caught Stealing shows a side of Chasidic Judaism that one usually doesn’t see on screen. Lipa and Shmully might appear to be respectful of Shabbos, but I don’t know any Chasidic Jew who would be in a motor vehicle on Shabbos unless it was specifically to save a life. Pikuach nefesh is the only exception when it comes to breaking Shabbos. And while I appreciate the casting of Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio is not Jewish, and they could have done better in casting his role. That aside, they aimed for authenticity in nearly every other aspect of their depiction.

Caught Stealing works as a love letter to New York City, especially the East Village in particular. In Darren Aronofsky’s words, it’s this neighborhood that makes the city “pop.” Charlie Huston’s book was written in the late 1990s, and the film takes audiences back to that era—predating the tragedy of September 11. For Aronofsky, it’s also a change of pace from his dark, intense dramas. If you can get over the number of people killed here (especially Yvonne), it’s a film that’s supposed to be fun. For the most part, it is. Had it not been for Splitsville, I would have seen the film in August.

Caught Stealing makes sure to cover all its New York City bases, taking the audience to the Lower East Side, Chinatown, Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Flushing, Queens. Given how much the city has changed in the past 25 years, it works as a time capsule—a violent time capsule, maybe, but still. They even brought back Benny’s Burritos and Kim’s Video, if only temporarily for the screen. Most surprisingly, they were allowed to film a car chase near the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows!

In the end, Caught Stealing is a wild, darkly funny plunge into late-’90s New York. Some story choices are frustrating, but Austin Butler’s performance and Aronofsky’s vivid depiction of the city make it a compelling ride. It’s a violent, chaotic love letter to a time and place that no longer exists.

Bonus Features

• Aronofsky: The Real Deal – Director Darren Aronofsky and Screenwriter/Author Charlie Huston explore the genesis of the film, the process of adaptation, and how to keep audiences guessing.
• Casting Criminals, Chaos, and a Cat – Austin Butler leads an incredible ensemble of actors – hear from the cast & crew on their characters, filming on set, and more!
• New York Story – From nosy neighbors to Black & White cookies, Caught Stealing is a love letter to New York.
• I Don’t Drive – Whether he’s running through traffic or hanging from a sixth-story balcony, Austin Butler brought an intense physicality to his performance as washed-up baseball player Hank Thompson.

DIRECTOR: Darren Aronofsky
SCREENWRITER: Charlie Huston
CAST: Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Benito Martínez Ocasio, Griffin Dunne, and Carol Kane, Action Bronson, George Abud, Nikita Kukushkin, Yuri Kolokolnikov, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Brill, Tenoch Huerta

Sony Pictures Releasing released Caught Stealing in theaters on August 29, 2025. Grade: 3.5/5

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