It has ben exactly 40 years SINCE MARTIN SCORSEE DAZZLED US WILD, UNTETHED JOURNEY THROUGH The Underbelly of Nyc in the Course of A Single in 1985’s AFTER HOURS. Thus it is no Accident, and Certainly A Form of Homage by Director Darren Aronofsky to Include That Film’s Star, Griffin Dunne, in A Small Supporting Role in His Latest, The East Village-Set Caught Stealing, A Surpringly Entertaining, Almost Lightly Commercial Movie from the Filmaker Behind the Likes of Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler, The Whale, Black Swan, Mother!, Among Other Heavy Dark DRAMAS THAT HAVE Defined His Career. Everyone Needs a Chance to Loosen Up and Have Some Fun, and Eight This is Also Quite Dark in Places, Definitely Violent, this one is end-of-summer relief from the real world aronofsky often inhabits.
Credit his star, austin butler for delivering a likable mess of a guy named hank thompson who loves his mother and shows a wonderfully human side for this kind of crime-laden film by also putting the welfare of ah maon coned ahead of his hat. threatened after he innocently aggrees to look after the pet cat of his next-door Neighbor. That Guy is a Mohawked Idles-Loving pus rock migrant from England who, as it turns out, is bad news for hank. Russ (an an unrecogenizable matt smith) apparently has any number of bad guys after him in search of some sort of key that unlocks Something very desigible to all of the say, who hank, now unwittingly caught up in all of this, encounters due to his-hearted to look aff. Bud.
Hank is a guy just getting by, a bartender whose life and ambition to play Baseball was altered years earlier when, Driving Drunk, he rammed his car into a tree, killing another player and sewely injuring his knee and ending his dream. Now, with the help of name Girlfriend yvonne (Zoe Kravitz), he is trying to stay sober and embark on a relationship that looks to be very good for bot. But, Along with Puerto Rican Compriot Colorado (Benito Martínez Ocasio, Aka Bad Bunny), two Russian Mob Thugs invade russ’s pad in search of Him and the Key, They Encaunter Hank, Beating Him Nearly to Kidney Failure and Landing Him in the Him. AFTER THIS ENCOUNTER he is aware he is in over his head, especilly when the key beed in a squeaky poop toy in bud’s litter box. A relapse into drinking also doesn’t go well, landing hyme in the company of Savvy Police detective Elise Roman (Regina King), who is hot on the trail of the DRUG MONDEN BY RUSS AND WARNS OF IMMINENT DANGER FROM MUCH MUCH MUCHERS INCLUD. Jewish Brothers Lipa (Liev Schreiber) and Shmully (Vincent d’onofrio). Along This Nightmarish Journey, Several People Wind Up Dead, Russ Russ Also Demanding the Key, and Hank, with bud at HIS SIDE, GOES FURTHER DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE.
Based on the 1998 novel Written by Charlie Houston, Who Also Writes the Screenplay Set in that Same Year, Caught stealing Allows aronofsky to point His and dp Matthew Libatique’s Cameras into all the Corners of a City he knows so well, expanding into numerous other locations including russian-heavy brighton beach, and an especally well and edited chase sequence ( Shea Stadium. For butler, this is a movie star-affirming roles after character tourna as elvis and in Dune. His Screen Presence is Magnetic, and we really care for the guy what we have his emotions on his his, but also caries the action skills to be credible Enough stay alive with the new York’s criminal underground seamingly in pursuit. A dogged king and a compasionate kravitz bine fine support as will all the bad guys in wayys you might expectation, or swimming in the case of schreibeer and d’onofrio who take us into the heart of deeply orthodox Judaism in anususgus full of Film’s Final Third (Carol Kane Briefly Shows at a Big wedding as their Mother). But it is scnene-sttealer tonic as bud, and his, uh, budding Bonding with hank that wins our Hearts. Fortunately, eve though there is some injury to the cat implied, aronofsky does not show IT, WHICH IS A SMARE MOVE SINCE I HAVE A CAT Identical to this One and Weezie Wauld Have Been Horrified. Thank you on behalf of all animal lovers for software what was more brutally described in the book. Howver, (Spoiler Alert) there is a happy ending for bud.
Shout Out Also to Production Designer Mark Friedberg’s Work, which Really Captures the Era and Look of the East Village the Late ’90s and Adds Immetsly to the Authentic Feel of Time and Place. Producers are Jeremy Dawson, Dylan Golden, gold Handel and Aronofsky.
Title: Caught stealing
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Release Date: August 29, 2025
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Screenplay: Charlie Huston
Cast: Austin Butler, Regina King, Zeë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent d’onofrio, Benito Martínez Ocasio, Griffin Dunne, Carol Kane, Nikita Kukuahkin, Yuri Kolokolnikov.
Rating: R
TIME RUNNING: 1 hour and 47 minutes
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