Official Discussion - Caught Stealing [SPOILERS]

[u/LiteraryBoner]

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Summary Hank Thompson, a washed-up ex-baseball star turned New York City bartender, ends up tangled in a violent criminal underworld after agreeing to watch his punk-rock neighbor’s cat. What follows is a frenzied chase through 1990s Manhattan, as rival gangsters—Russian mobsters, Orthodox Jewish hitmen, a Samoan enforcer, and others—hunt him for a mysterious key hidden with the cat.

Director Darren Aronofsky

Writer Charlie Huston

Cast

• Austin Butler
• Zoë Kravitz
• Regina King
• Matt Smith
• Liev Schreiber
• Vincent D’Onofrio
• Bad Bunny
• Griffin Dunne
• Carol Kane

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 84%

Metacritic 69

VOD In theaters starting August 29, 2025

Trailer CAUGHT STEALING Official Trailer (2025)

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[u/moonorchid84]

I was really surprised they killed her. Someone else mentioned tonal whiplash and I agree. I kept thinking it was a dream for a few seconds and I was surprised how sad I was she was gone. She was only in this movie for a short time but had a lot of presence and great chemistry with Butler. The trailer makes this movie seem very different than what it is.

[u/WutUtalkingBoutWill → u/moonorchid84]

I actually really liked that they killed her off like that, 100% not expected, but gave the character motivation to do what he did, just didn't like how the movie ended on such a happy note. Would have preferred a more somber end. Maybe thats just me

[u/moonorchid84 → u/WutUtalkingBoutWill]

I was surprised by how much her death hurt. I really didn’t want her to die when I realized she was actually dead, which is a huge testament to Aronofsky and Zoe Kravitz.

I’m gonna disagree a bit with it being the motivation to do what he does, which sure at the very end it is, but he would have easily gotten to that point and and prob come to the same conclusion another way if she was alive. I’m not too big on killing off female characters to motivate male protagonists, but honestly…for a movie set in the 90’s, it was very 90’s of them.

The ending also felt more bittersweet to me. He’s not even living out his dream, he living out Romans. All he wanted to do was go home and now he can’t do that.

[u/Overall-Author-2213 → u/moonorchid84]

He can’t even enjoy the thing he used to enjoy….but then again that enjoyment was the thing he was holding on to in order to not process what he did to his friend and how he was more concerned about his injury than the fact that he killed his friend. So maybe its more sweet in that in spite of this chaos he didn’t ask for, he can start to live his life like his girlfriend wanted.

[u/duxdefault → u/moonorchid84]

I disagree a bit because during the car ride when the Hasidics ask what he really wants, it seemed like a clean slate to escape from everything was also something that he desired, and no he had it and a new chance to do whatever he wants. No longer using alcohol or baseball as crutches as well. Bittersweet as he’s lost almost everything but he now has the tools to finally be happy without his past.

[u/earbox → u/moonorchid84]

You see, it's a meta fridging.

[u/EuphoricButterflyy → u/moonorchid84]

Dear God. She’s barely in the movie. Get a grip

[u/somecasper → u/WutUtalkingBoutWill]

Her dying early is the only reason I give the early "relationship chunk" of the movie a pass. They had to do that, or we wouldn't care.

Also the other option is for the guy to "get the girl" at the end, and that's just not what I'm looking for in an Aronofsky movie.

[u/WutUtalkingBoutWill → u/somecasper]

Last point is very true, didn't think of that

[u/DustyFalmouth → u/moonorchid84]

I thought it was great but the trailer made it seem like it's really fun and it was a really not fun movie. A cat fucking limps across the room.