My Review: ‘Caught Stealing’ Starring Austin Butler

The other night, I attended an advance screening of Caught Stealing, and wow, what a wild ride! The film follows Hank Thompson (Austin Butler), a former high school baseball prodigy whose dreams of the big leagues are long gone. Life seems decent enough: he’s got a casual relationship with his girlfriend (Zoë Kravitz), works as a bartender at a gritty New York dive, and roots for his favorite team as they chase the pennant. But everything unravels when his punk-rock neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) asks him to cat-sit for a few days and suddenly Hank finds himself tangled up with a chaotic crew of gangsters, each more menacing than the last. The catch? He has no clue why they’re after him. More inside…

At first, the title Caught Stealing didn’t quite click for me until the movie got rolling! My girlfriend and I were glued to the screen, mouths open, trying to keep up with all the action. This is one of those films where you don’t dare look away; it’s packed with twists, violence, crooked cops, mobsters, and more. Set in New York City in the late ’90s, it even stirred up a bit of nostalgia for me, I was in my early 20s back then, so it hit a familiar chord.

Austin Butler delivered a strong performance as Hank: a deeply flawed guy, an alcoholic, a screw-up, constantly in the wrong place at the wrong time yet still trying desperately to redeem himself. Zoë Kravitz played his on-again, off-again girlfriend, though their “relationship” was more like friends with benefits; her intentions for him seemed questionable at best. And Matt Smith as Russ? Hilarious and shady, leading Hank straight down a dark, spiraling rabbit hole that starts with something as simple as babysitting a cat.

One particularly fascinating element was the portrayal of a Jewish mob yes, you read that right! It was intense, unexpected, and honestly made me reflect on some of my own upbringing in Cleveland, Ohio, where I grew up near a large Orthodox Jewish community. I always respected and admired their faith my mom even worked at a Jewish nursing home for years but I never imagined there were organized crime ties in some circles. After the screening, someone even told me there’s a faction here in Atlanta! Seeing them in the movie wearing yarmulkes and tallits while being absolutely ruthless was surreal, but it added a unique and surprising layer to the story.

Overall, Caught Stealing is gritty, thrilling, and full of unexpected turns. If you love crime dramas with dark humor, violence, and unpredictable twists, this one will keep you hooked. It hits theaters Friday, August 29th definitely worth the watch!

When his punk-rock neighbour asks him to take care of his cat for a few days, New York City bartender Hank Thompson suddenly finds himself caught in the middle of a motley crew of threatening gangsters who all want a piece of him.

photos by: Niko Tavernise

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