Caught Stealing (2025)

The critic hails a propulsive, thrilling crime yarn with raucous energy, brilliant casting and a grimy pre-Millennium New York feel, singling out the wincingly painful yet non-gratuitous violence and Austin Butler’s compelling everyman lead.

The critic calls it a solidly entertaining 1998-set New York crime thriller with a Hitchcockian wrong-man premise, vibrant ensemble characters and bruising physical stakes, noting Aronofsky’s knack for bodily peril even in a more commercial mode.

The critic says it is Aronofsky's funniest film even as it turns bleak, evoking a tortured take on Scorsese's urban comedy while holding together as entertainment. It singles out Butler shining amid tonal jitters and the director's light touch compared to prior work.

The critic finds Aronofsky in lighter, more accessible mode with a gritty, propulsive crime thriller that delivers thrills amid escalating anxiety. They single out the vivid New York location shooting and Butler's sympathetic lead performance for praise while noting a late plot turn that sours the experience.

The critic calls the scrappy crime movie a little on the nose but credits its lively ensemble and retro energy with keeping it watchable. They single out Austin Butler's charisma and the sparky chemistry with Zoë Kravitz as the elements that hold the film together.

The critic finds it a solid but forgettable 90s throwback thriller with a killer cast and authentic grubbiness, though one bleak violent moment irreparably sours the caper tone.

The critic finds it an intermittently fun but frustratingly ramshackle experience where Butler is a poor fit for the passive lead role. It singles out the well-drawn Giuliani-era New York trappings and peripheral characters as the strongest elements.

The critic dismisses the film as a misfiring, ramshackle crime caper that fails to land its comedy or thrills despite a starry cast. They single out the pointless, unfunny wisecracking and lack of swagger as major complaints.

The critic enjoys the knockabout nihilism and nostalgic 1990s New York setting, praising the director's skill in balancing violence with levity, fun, and playful raunch while noting the breakneck caper tone.

The critic finds mixed results as Aronofsky's grim NYC crime caper fails to fully capture the energy and unpredictability of the source novel. It singles out the attempt at a wild pitch that doesn't quite connect for Austin Butler's journey.

Nicholson calls the hectic, hungover NYC caper chaotic fun and an affectionate dirty limerick to grotty 1990s New York, with vivid goons and a resourceful lead performance. She questions why Aronofsky was drawn to a story that feels like a good yarn rather than his usual ambitious fare.

The critic describes an uneven but admirable bid at a friskier, more conventional genre piece that shines in its off-kilter humour and quirky tone but weakens when reaching for extreme emotion or trauma.

The critic welcomes Aronofsky’s shift to a brisk, entertaining crime caper packed with twists, betrayals and murders every ten minutes, praising the vivid New York setting, strong ensemble performances and the magnetic lead turn by Austin Butler.

The critic praises how the boilerplate setup gets a lift from Aronofsky's style, making it looser, more unpredictable and funnier than expected while violence remains serious. It singles out the vibrant late-'90s New York milieu and Butler's star power shining through trauma.

The critic praises the film's gleeful energy, dark humour and chaotic spectacle as a very enjoyable crime flick with nasty twists and strong performances. A minor inconsistency in the protagonist's reactions to horror is noted but does not detract from the overall fun.

The critic calls it the most overtly commercial and glossy film Aronofsky has made, an entertaining, twisty bloody caper driven by Austin Butler's magnetism and strong supporting turns. It singles out the vibrant cinematography and buoyant feel despite the violence.

Brody praises the film as hitting a sweet spot in Aronofsky’s work, delivering lacerating comedy and high-relief artifice while mapping private lives onto the city’s public spaces. He singles out the rueful uncertainty of identification with a terminal fuckup protagonist and the ensemble’s knowing performances.

The critic finds Aronofsky’s violent, hyperactive action adventure lively and engaging as Austin Butler’s bartender is plunged into escalating danger across a grimy 1990s Manhattan. She singles out the film’s Rube Goldberg-like plot machinery and an unexpectedly moving interlude for praise.

The critic dismisses the film as a lazily derivative throwback to 1990s Tarantino-wannabe crime comedies, complaining of its brash swagger and appropriation of ideas from other films despite the high body count.

The critic finds the zany ultra-violent crime caper entertaining and unashamedly derivative, singling out the charming chemistry between Austin Butler and Zoë Kravitz plus strong supporting turns, though it lacks originality.

Debruge highlights the lively, high-energy New York hustle that feels like After Hours with more corpses, praising Austin Butler’s relatable, star-making turn as the laid-back bartender. He singles out the memorable ensemble and the film’s acute interest in other people.

The film is an exciting, propulsive Scorsese-esque crime thriller comedy that lets Aronofsky have fun while staying true to his themes of addiction and obsession. Austin Butler leads a strong ensemble with charm and emotional depth in this accessible yet dark take on a man caught in 1990s New York underworld chaos.

The critic finds it a surprisingly entertaining, lightly commercial crime thriller from Aronofsky, praising Austin Butler's likable performance and the irresistible cat Bud as scene-stealers. It offers end-of-summer relief with dark and violent elements but overall fun.

The film is a deeply entertaining retro caper with heart-pounding action, comic book-style characters and a pumping IDLES soundtrack that offers welcome escapism. Its tone is uneven, however, sometimes feeling like a pale imitation of '90s thrillers with an increasingly daft plot.

Caught Stealing is an entertaining, low-stakes late-summer trifle and a fun, nostalgic '90s New York crime caper with strong performances from Butler, Kravitz, and Smith. It is lighter and less ambitious than typical Aronofsky fare but still delivers surprises and rewatch value, though it lacks deeper thematic weight.

The critic notes it's a tonal shift for Aronofsky into a pulpy, humorous crime story that's entertaining but not profound, praising the fun tone and Butler's character while acknowledging it's just a bunch of stuff that happened.