Few administrators have messed with my thoughts greater than Darren Aronofsky. From Requiem for a Dream to Mom!, we’ve gone to some darkish locations through the years. For his contribution to the 2025 film calendar, nevertheless, the filmmaker could also be happening a barely completely different path with Caught Stealing. Critics have seen the crime thriller, which has Austin Butler dominating an general spectacular forged, and surprisingly, the phrase “scuzzy” comes up greater than as soon as.
Caught Stealing is an adaptation of the e-book of the identical title by Charlie Huston (who additionally wrote the screenplay). On the heart of the film is Hank Thompson (Austin Butler), a retired baseball participant who finds himself in the midst of New York Metropolis’s felony community within the Nineteen Nineties. In CinemaBlend’s evaluation of Caught Stealing, Eric Eisenberg says the film teeters on being spinoff however in the end delivers a thriller that mixes thrills and enjoyable. He charges it 3.5 out of 5 stars, writing:
Aronofsky’s adaptation of Charlie Huston’s novel of the identical title is a refreshing change of tempo tonally, and it showcases a brand new dimension of his large abilities. There’s no query that it nonetheless has its darkish moments, from which it’s capable of develop its character arcs and intense stakes, however the filmmaker permits himself to be a bit slick and funky whereas unfurling his comedic neo-noir thriller full of colourful personalities.
CinemaBlend’s critic additionally notes that all the forged is having numerous enjoyable with their roles, however Austin Butler shines the brightest. That sentiment is shared by Rolling Stones’ David Concern, who praises the forged — notably Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Drucker brothers — however this one is all about Butler proving that he’s now a bona fide main man. Concern continues:
Chances are you’ll go into this throwback thriller due to the director connected to it… You’ll go away absolutely realizing it’s not the newest Darren Aronofksy film a lot as the very first Austin Butler film, through which the A-list–adjoining gent isn’t catching your consideration as a result of he’s an alabaster alien maniac, or the King of Rock & Roll, or half of a bigger refrain line high-kicking behind a much bigger title. All he has to depend on right here is pure display screen presence and star wattage, and Butler fully makes it work. The man can command a display screen with out having to play second fiddle to an I.P. or prosthetics or a much more well-known co-star.
Caryn James of THR calls Caught Stealing an “entertaining, twisty and in the end bloody caper,” writing:
Pushed by Austin Butler‘s magnetism and chiseled supporting turns from a gaggle of top-flight actors, Caught Stealing is essentially the most overtly business movie Aronofsky has ever made. That won’t sound like a lot subsequent to the darkish psychology of Black Swan, arguably his finest movie. However even his most mainstream efforts, like The Whale, aren’t almost as shiny and smooth as this, and he pulls it off superbly.
Peter Debruge of Selection is certainly one of a number of critics who be aware how vital New York Metropolis is as a backdrop to Hank’s story, accentuating the big selection of cultures and personalities that reside there. Debruge calls Caught Stealing a “scuzzy misfit of a film,” saying perhaps it’s not as a lot of a departure from his different works because it first seems. The critic continues:
Caught Stealing may really feel like a break from the Pi director’s intensely subjective character portraits, which vary from The Wrestler to The Whale, however in truth, Aronofsky brings us as near Hank as he has to any of his different characters. For Butler, it’s not as flashy a job as those he performed in Elvis or Dune, and but, seeing the actor stripped all the way down to his heather grey underwear, his stardom is all however simple.
It’s not a clear sweep, critics-wise, as IndieWire’s Kate Erbland offers the film a C+, saying it’s a swing and a miss for this “scuzzy and off-kilter” crime thriller. The ultimate act comes collectively as what Darren Aronofsky appeared to be trying, however till then, it simply doesn’t pop. Erbland says:
It’s lengthy, and stuffed with blood, guts, bones, puke, shit, and piss, plus an emergency organ removing. None of it goes down simple, however for as grim and gritty as Caught Stealing is, it solely actually will get going when leaning into the darkish humor and profound absurdity at its heart. ‘I needed this crime caper to be funnier’? It’s true — you’ll need this crime caper to be funnier or at the least extra in tune with itself, and the moments through which it dares to trace at one thing a lot better, slightly below the floor.
Total, critics appear to love what Darren Aronofsky has achieved, and Austin Butler simply continues to show himself. It holds a Licensed Contemporary 87% on Rotten Tomatoes (a powerful 85% on the Popcornmeter). May it result in Oscar nods for the Caught Stealing forged or crew come awards season? Time will inform, and this film is in theaters now.