Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of August 25, 2025
Caught Stealing
Rated R for strong violent content, brief drug use, some sexuality/nudity and pervasive language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81% at time of writing
In theaters
From writer/director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream), comes this crime dramedy about a young bartender (Austin Butler) in New York City who once had a shot of becoming an MLB star until a car wreck ruined his knee. One day as is coming home, his neighbor (Matt Smith) asks him to watch his cat while he heads to London to look after his dad who just had a stroke. In the litter box, he finds a hidden key that apparently a lot of people want their hands on. All is good until first a team of Russians come to look for the neighbor and instead almost beat our hero to death. To make matters more complicated, a team of Jewish assassins (Lieb Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio) come looking for the key also. The two worst movie weekends of the year, traditionally, are Labor Day weekend and Super Bowl weekend. If you see a film opening on one of those days, it is likely a stinker and not worth your time. But this is also a self-fulfilling prophecy as every once in a while, a film surprises you. While this is not a great film, it is way better than a Labor Day film. Fresh off directing literally the biggest movie of all time (Postcard from Earth at the Sphere in Las Vegas), Aronofsky keeps changing his style and tone from project to project. This one has a Guy Ritchie/Coen Brothers feel that should make audiences happy if that’s what they are expecting. It’s at times really funny, sometimes scary, all with a heavy dose of action and disturbing violence. The cast, for the most part, is solid, especially Butler, Smith, Schreiber and D’Onofrio. I did find Regina King rather distracting and out of place, but for the most part, the characters were fun and frightening at the same time. I did find some of the writing to be a little lazy and confusing, especially the major plot hole of the key being found in a rubber poop in the litter box. There was a good chance that if he didn’t find it, he might have accidentally thrown it in the trash with the scoop. But I digress. Overall, it’s an entertaining crime thriller with a great cast and some memorable moments. B