4K Ultra HD Review – Caught Stealing (2025)

      Caught Stealing, 2025.

      Directed by Darren Aronofsky.

      Featuring Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Benito Martínez Ocasio, Griffin Dunne, and Carol Kane.

      SYNOPSIS:

      Darren Aronofsky's latest film, Caught Stealing, is released on 4K Ultra HD, complete with a few bonus features and a digital copy code. It's an entertaining movie that merits your attention, boasting a vibrant cast and a memorable cat.

      I must confess that I haven't followed all of Darren Aronofsky's films consistently over the years. While Pi was an impressive debut, my interest in his work has ebbed and flowed. Some films, like The Whale, didn't resonate with me for personal reasons.

      However, Caught Stealing intrigued me due to its stellar cast and compelling premise. The film is packed with numerous twists and tightly woven plot points, which kept me from predicting the story's direction. In my opinion, that's a sign of a well-crafted film, though it does feature one particular perplexing moment that left it feeling incomplete.

      Set in 1998, the film stars Austin Butler as Henry “Hank” Thompson, a once-promising Major League Baseball prospect who now works as a bartender in New York City's Lower East Side. His girlfriend, Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz), strives to support him while avoiding enabling his drinking habits.

      When his mohawked neighbor, Russ Miner (Matt Smith), unexpectedly asks Hank to look after his cat because he needs to return to London, Hank finds himself embroiled in a conflict involving Russian, Puerto Rican, and Jewish mobsters, which challenges his survival instincts. He attempts to seek assistance from detective Elise Roman (Regina King), but this only complicates his situation further.

      The characters surrounding Hank provide plenty of entertainment as they chew up the scenery, whether they're the brutish Russians or the Hasidic Drucker brothers (Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio), who are determined not to displease their cherished Bubbe (Carol Kane). Russ is a flamboyant punk rock Brit who is the catalyst for Hank's troubles but might also help him escape them upon his return from England.

      Regarding that perplexing moment: There's a scene where Hank is trapped in a basement room with a steel door alongside his bar-owner boss Paul (Griffin Dunne), with enemies lurking outside. It creates a suspenseful “How will he escape this situation?” moment, but the resolution felt somewhat like a cheat. (I plan to read the novel this film is based on to see how it addresses this situation).

      Sony has released Caught Stealing on 4K Ultra HD, including a code for a digital copy. While it doesn't come with a Blu-ray, that's acceptable since the bonus features included are not particularly extensive.

      The extras total roughly 20 minutes and consist of four featurettes: Aronofsky: The Real Deal, showcasing the director alongside Charlie Huston, the author of the Caught Stealing novel; Casting Criminals, Chaos, and a Cat, which examines the fantastic cast, including the charming cat; I Don’t Drive, which references Hank's line and delves into the stunt work; and A New York Story, giving an overview of a city that has evolved significantly since 1998.

      Caught Stealing is the first novel in a series featuring Hank Thompson, so it will be interesting to see if the subsequent installments get picked up as well.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★

      Brad Cook

      Originally published November 16, 2025. Updated November 17, 2025.