--- title: "Caught Stealing: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/caught-stealing/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/caught-stealing" critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Caught Stealing (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 69 from 13 reviews: 9 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics welcome Caught Stealing as Aronofsky in a lighter, more commercial mood, and the majority find it entertaining. The praise clusters in two places: Austin Butler’s lead, which nearly every review calls charismatic or relatable, and the grimy late-1990s New York setting, with its vivid goons and lively supporting cast. Several reviews reach for Scorsese comparisons, After Hours in particular. The reservations are about tone. A number of critics say the caper’s comedy sits awkwardly with its violence, and Time Out and Empire both name a single late, bleak turn that sours what comes before. Others find it derivative and forgettable, and a few miss the ambition of Aronofsky’s earlier work. The spread is wide. The Evening Standard dismisses it as a misfiring caper whose jokes do not land, The Observer calls it a lazy Tarantino throwback, and Vulture, alone, thinks Butler is wrong for the passive part. ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 5/5. 27 August 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. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/caught-stealing-review-austin-butler-matt-smith/) ## Little White Lies — Marshall Shaffer Rating 4/4/4. 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/caught-stealing) ## The AV Club — Jesse Hassenger Rating B. 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/caught-stealing-review) ## Empire — Ben Travis Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/caught-stealing/) ## The i Paper — Christina Newland Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/caught-stealing-review-austin-butler-charisma-holds-together-3880575) ## Time Out — Olly Richards Rating 3/5. 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/caught-stealing-2025) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 28 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-austin-butler-gets-lost-in-caught-stealing.html) ## Evening Standard — Nick Howells Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/caught-stealing-review-bad-bunny-darren-aronofsky-austin-butler-zoe-kravitz-b1244244.html) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh 28 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/aca93501-79d8-4146-aafd-a0c8c3b48004) ## IndieWire — Kate Erbland 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/caught-stealing-review-darren-aronofsky-austin-butler-1235147500/) ## Los Angeles Times — Amy Nicholson 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-08-27/caught-stealing-review-darren-aronofsky-austin-butler-regina-king-zoe-kravitz) ## Screen Daily 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/caught-stealing-review-austin-butler-stars-in-darren-aronofskys-uneven-new-york-crime-thriller/5208260.article) ## Sight and Sound 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/caught-stealing-darren-aronofsky-takes-fresh-approach-with-thrilling-crime-caper) ## Slant Magazine — Rocco T. Thompson 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/caught-stealing-review-austin-butler-darren-aronofsky/) ## The Guardian 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/aug/27/caught-stealing-review-darren-aronofsky-mother-the-whale-baseball) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Caryn James 25 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/caught-stealing-review-austin-butler-darren-aronofsky-1236353041/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody 28 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/caught-stealing-makes-new-york-a-comedic-criminal-nightmare) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis 28 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/movies/caught-stealing-review-austin-butler-darren-aronofsky.html) ## The Observer — Wendy Ide 31 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://observer.co.uk/culture/film/article/films-caught-stealing-little-trouble-girls-the-thursday-murder-club) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★☆☆. 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/caught-stealing-film-review-austin-butler-zoe-kravitz-52gnq77rk) ## Variety — Peter Debruge 24 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/caught-stealing-review-austin-butler-1236496926/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 8/10. 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://collider.com/caught-stealing-review-austin-butler-darren-aronofsky/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 24 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2025/08/caught-stealing-review-darren-aronofsky-austin-butler-crime-1236496391/) ## NME — Jordan Bassett Rating 4/5. 29 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/caught-stealing-review-darren-aronofsky-austin-butler-zoe-kravitz-3888468) ## Paste — Abby Olcese Rating 7.5/10. 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/caught-stealing/caught-stealing-review-darren-aronofsky-austin-butler-matt-smith-crime-plot) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/caught-stealing-review-darren-aronofsky-austin-butler/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/caught-stealing.md