Caught Stealing

Do we like Directors who have a consistent style or those where two films of theirs can feel wildly different?

If Darren Aronofsky largely falls into the latter category, his new film Caught Stealing might just be the most mainstream-adjacent he’s ever got.

Already ladled with critical acclaim and awards-success, this is a tangent into an all out, audience pleasing blockbusting crime thriller.

Having such a master auteur go down this road is an absolute treat, especially in the oh-so-fun ‘mistaken identity, ever escalating, on the run, anxiety fest’ genre which has born such rich fruit in recent times.

Caught Stealing is actually more shiny and slick than Good Time, Uncut Gems and Anora but still retains large elements of their grit and pace and the requisite expertise you'd expect behind the camera.

It maybe doesn’t get to the full five star heights of those more ‘arthouse’ leaning films but is still a wildly fun and entertaining ride featuring a stacked cast.

We’re thrust right into the action as Austin Butler’s bartender Hank is mistakenly caught up with all sorts of shady criminal types, all ostensibly after some kind of gangster MacGuffin which, of course, turns out to be a large stack of cash.

The minutiae of how these characters interlink, how the enterprise started and how Hank is initially dropped into the fray is the only element that lets the film down. It doesn’t quite cohere satisfactorily and leaves a few holes.

However, once the proverbial hits the fan and we’re on the lam, it’s non-stop action.

Everyone here is clearly having such a good time. It's sharply paced, brilliantly soundtracked and glittering with that all star cast, many in underused, cameo form.

One early, major twist arguably leaves too much of a hole in the emotional stakes of the story but some of the other elements are done nicely.

It’s another excellent addition to Aronofsky’s oeuvre, the crime thriller genre and your 2025 watchlist.

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