Matthew McConaughey welcomes director Darren Aronofsky and star Austin Butler to Austin, TX, for a special screening of their new dark comedy Caught Stealing. We report back from the event and review the film as well. Caught Stealing will be released exclusively in movie theaters on August 29, 2025.
Introduction
At a recent Austin, Texas screening of Darren Aronofsky’s latest film, Caught Stealing, hometown hero Matthew McConaughey was on hand to welcome the director and the film’s star, Austin Butler. When introducing the film at the flagship Alamo Drafthouse location, McConaughey extolled:
“I watched this film yesterday morning. I want to share a few things that I wrote right after viewing it. One, I had a hell of a lot of fun. This is a fun ride. Two, I got scared a few times. My hands went to cover my face going, “Oh, shit, no!” A couple of times in this film was extremely sexy. Yes, it might even turn you on.”
McConaughey is spot on, in more ways than one! Caught Stealing feels like a classic crime caper with Gen X sensibilities paired with a lovely ode to late 20th-century NYC.
Synopsis
Adapted by Charlie Huston from his novel of the same name, Caught Stealing begins with NYC bartender Hank (Butler) as he fights demons from his past by drowning his sorrows in alcohol and avoiding a commitment to his girlfriend, Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz). That is, until the day Hank’s punk neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) asks him to watch his cat while he’s out of town.
Soon, the good Samaritan is confronted with some baddies trying to break into the neighbor’s place. Before he can blink, Hank is unwittingly dragged into the middle of some seriously bad business he must now fight with both brains and brawn to escape.
Discussion
In Caught Stealing, being in the wrong place at the wrong time is a ridiculous understatement. Through happenstance as well as decisions on his part, Hank spirals further into danger at each ridiculous twist and turn of the story. As Hank’s misfortune escalates, the story becomes increasingly preposterous and compelling. In their chat, McConaughey shares with Aronofsky:
“When I say it’s effective, meaning I had quite a few visceral experiences in my seat watching it. I laughed my ass off. I laughed out loud four times. It was just me and my wife, my son in the theater. I laughed out loud four good times. Okay, good. I covered my eyes three times. Oh, great. Not much makes me cover my eyes. I covered and went, ‘Oh, shit. Don’t do that. Not now, no.’ I caught myself uncomfortably grinning at some guilty pleasures. What’s the guilty pleasure? None of your business. You made the movie. I’m not going to say I shed a tear, but my eyes did well up one time.”
As the gracious host mentioned, Caught Stealing is definitely not all fun and games. While the overall tone of the film is somewhat light, even flippant, repeated shocks of violence and anguish drive the story to the most unexpected of places, literally and emotionally.
Ensemble Cast
Butler once again proves his muster among Hollywood’s leading men with another commanding performance. Although he showcases his established skill in the film’s dramatic moments, Butler mostly keeps it light with a playful and charming performance.
He’s no wilting flower and can take a punch, or ten. But he never comes off as a tough guy when dealing with either his past emotional demons or the present human ones. The tone of his portrayal not only makes his character sympathetic, but it also helps set the dark comedy tone for the entire film. When asked by McConaughey what drew him to the role, Butler answered,
“Man, to be honest, the first time I ever was cast in anything, I was about 12. It was a student film where I played a dog who got to be a boy. I was looking for mentors anywhere, and I said to that director, I said, ‘Who’s your favorite director?’ He said, ‘Darren Aronofsky.’ He told me to watch Requiem For A Dream. This was one of those dreams for me where I just had this thing in my head where I thought, if I ever get a chance to work with Darren Aronofsky, I’ve got to do that.”
Relegated to a girlfriend role, the brilliant Zoe Kravitz makes a brief but powerful appearance as Yvonne. Though she has to deliver lines about wanting more in her relationship with Hank and generally plays the nagging girlfriend, Kravitz skillfully turns the cliches of her character into actual care and empathy. As always, Kravitz leaves us wanting more, woefully so in this outing.
Supporting Players
While Butler clearly does the heavy lifting in Caught Stealing, the enchantment of the film comes from the incredible ensemble cast. As Hank finds himself unwittingly falling deeper into trouble, he runs into a succession of fascinating characters.
From Regina King as a hard-nosed detective or Vincent D’Onofrio and Liev Schreiber as psychotic Hasidic brothers to Benito “Bad Bunny” Ocasio as a sadistic crime boss, the cast is packed with amusing players. When asked about working with Ocasio, Butler said,
“I had a great time with him. He came very prepared, incredibly kind, very nice, and surprisingly funny. I was amazed by his sense of humor, actually. Very dry sense of humor. We had a great time. He was game for anything. He died his facial hair red. He died his hair, put freckles on his face. Yeah, he tortured me when I had no pants on.”
In other supporting roles, special kudos go to Nikita Kukushkin and Yuri Kolokolnikov as the hilarious and menacing Russian henchmen. And the always-enchanting Carol Kane makes a brief but endearing turn as the Hasidic matriarch Bubbe.
Further Analysis
While the breakneck pace and intricate story keep the audience at full alert, a fascinating ode to 90s New York also unfolds along the way. Establishing the timestamp early on with hallmarks like images of the Twin Towers, the sound of an answering machine recording, and nods to early cell phones, the sights and sounds evoke the days just before the digital age. When asked about capturing the vibe of 1998 NYC, Aronofsky credited his team.
“Great collaborators who have a much better memory than me. A great production designer, Mark [Friedberg], who lived the ’90s in New York and brought to us lots of ideas. Just a really great team that’s just constantly throwing out ideas. It’s amazing how much has changed, even though not that much seems to have changed. But I mean, of course, there’s everything that’s happened with the phone in our pockets. That’s a big thing. But there’s so many little things that have changed that you have to really think about the details.”
Conclusion
Though not exactly a one-man army film, Hank leaves plenty of destruction in his wake in Caught Stealing. Sometimes the contrast between the quirky fun and the brutal violence is a bit too stark. It’s tough to find that happy medium in a dark comedy. While the film mostly succeeds, the brutality is jarring nonetheless.
Drawing an obvious comparison to another famous ’90s madcap crime escapade as he wrapped up his kudos, McConaughey added,
“[Caught Stealing] is a really good punk rock thriller that made me say, ‘What if the Big Lebowski was a real nightmare?’ I think it’s going to stand the test of time. I think it’s going to be watched and rewatched for decades.”
Caught Stealing is a raucous caper with a parade of fascinating characters. Come for the insane goose chase; watch out for Aronofsky’s unflinching dark side; and stay for another knock-out performance from Austin Butler.
Caught Stealing will open exclusively in movie theaters on August 29, 2025.
