Darren Aronofsky’s newest title, Caught Stealing, has all the right ingredients: a star-studded cast, a screenplay by the author of the book of the same name, stylish and gritty visuals, and a '90s throwback soundtrack. Coupled with Aronofsky’s reputation as a master of the surreal and psychological, it is fair to say expectations were set high. The result, while stylish and energetic, too often feels like a muddled Kiss Kiss Bang Bang imitation that underuses its talents, struggles to find its footing with its tone and humour, never quite figuring out what it wants to be.
With a stacked ensemble cast of Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Regina King, Laura Dern, Tenoch Huerta, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Carol Kane and Bad Bunny (which may seem random, but following his standout performance alongside Gael García Bernal in Cassandro and his recent role in Happy Gilmore 2, makes total sense), it is the secondary characters that steal the show. Kravitz, Butler and Smith get the bulk of the screen time, but the film’s most memorable moments come from Schreiber, D’Onofrio and Bad Bunny, as well as Russian actor Nikita Kukushkin in his English-language debut. Laura Dern and Tenoch Huerta, meanwhile, are reduced to cameos. While this may have been intended as a playful nod, it ends up feeling like a missed opportunity given their talents. Only King manages to escape underuse, while the rest of the core cast do just fine with the material.
The setting is fleshed out with grungy bars, graphic tees, anti-establishment stickers, beaten-up cars, Kurt Cobain haircuts, nipple piercings, references to Lou Reed, needledrops from Meredith Brooks and an original score from Idles. At its best, Caught Stealing feels like a love letter to late '80s and '90s counterculture, which is sure to charm the average viewer.
Caught Stealing marks Darren Aronofsky’s first notable foray into the comedy genre, a bold move from a filmmaker better known for psychological intensity, even if the results are uneven. Known for his intense character studies and sprawling psychological dramas, Aronofsky is at his best in Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler and Black Swan, which prove he can do gritty and uncomfortable. Any time he tries to in Caught Stealing, however, it feels strangely contrived. There is something too polished about it. It feels as if he is trying to appeal to a more mainstream audience than he has with his more recent and divisive projects, Mother! and The Whale, all while trying to keep his signature eccentricism. The balance doesn’t always work, no matter how much I admire a filmmaker for stepping outside of their comfort zone. (Sorry, but I loved Mother! — can we go back to that?)
Charlie Huston adapts his own book into Caught Stealing’s screenplay, which should have been an asset and given the film a sense of authenticity, but the humour falls flat. Maybe the book’s tone just didn’t translate to the screen, or could have benefited from a fresh pair of eyes to help with adapting the material. The film reaches for the anarchic energy of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang or the offbeat charm of The Long Goodbye (it even pays homage to the latter’s iconic cat scene), and though it never fully matches those benchmarks, Butler’s charisma at least keeps things watchable.
The tonal mismatch extends into the sex and violence. Butler and Kravitz don’t need elaborate choreography to sell chemistry, but the sex scenes try too hard to be sexy, losing all spontaneity. The violence fares better: Butler’s character, given a “failed baseball career” backstory that crops up somewhat awkwardly throughout, at least takes his beatings believably. Nikita Kukushkin, in his English-language debut, makes the biggest impact—his doglike pursuit of Butler includes a brutal headbutt while on all fours and a pliers-torture sequence that lingers with the viewer long after it is over.
Aronofsky, who once made discomfort an art form, here substitutes his usual grit for easy gross-outs: clogged toilets overflowing, digging through cat litter, vomiting on windows, cute cats being kicked and piss-soaked jeans at parties. These attempts at grime are undermined by how polished the film looks and how mainstream its cast is. Butler is too much of a matinee idol, Kravitz too effortlessly cool, and the ensemble and cameos too famous and glamorous to convince that they belong in this criminal underworld.
Ultimately, Caught Stealing struggles to fully define its identity. It isn’t natural enough to feel grounded, nor heightened enough to feel purposefully stylised. It makes fun choices in its music, costumes, and setting, however the execution is too stiff to fully commit to a punk energy. It’s a film full of potentially interesting pieces that never quite mesh together.
When King, Schreiber or D’Onofrio are on screen, when Kukushkin unleashes violence, when the soundtrack and score sync with the chaos, Caught Stealing hints at the sharper, more irreverent film it could have been. Too slick to be gritty, too stiff to be funny, and too uneven to satisfy as either comedy or neo-noir, the film ends up caught in its own contradictions. Still, its playful energy, strong ensemble moments, and soundtrack ensure there’s enough here to intrigue those curious about Aronofsky’s experiments outside of his comfort zone.
In cinemas from 29th September 2025.
