Caught Stealing (2025)

Caught Stealing is about a bartender, a cat named Bud, and every crook in 1998 New York fighting over a key hidden in that cat’s litter box. That’s the absurdity, and Darren Aronofsky, of all people, plays it for laughs. Austin Butler is Hank, a former baseball prospect whose career ended in a car crash, who calls his mom daily to talk Giants and agrees to pet sit for his punk neighbor Russ, played by Matt Smith. Bad idea. Russian heavies, a pair of brothers played by Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio, and Regina King’s very curious detective all come knocking. Butler has real movie star swagger, and the whole thing moves like a scrappy throwback. Problem is the crowd: so many rival crooks pile in that you need a scorecard to track who wants what from Hank. It made $33.3 million worldwide on a reported $40M. A 6.6 because Butler carries it and the cat deserves his own movie. $496.69 says you never agree to feed a neighbor’s pet again without asking a few questions first.

What works: Austin Butler has easy movie star charm as Hank, and Aronofsky’s switch to a loose, funny crime caper suits him.

What doesn’t: Too many rival crooks crowd the back half, and keeping track of who wants what from Hank starts to feel like homework.

Who it’s for: People who love a scrappy New York crime caper about a regular guy whose bad week keeps getting worse.