Caught Stealing (2025)
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of late 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined.
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36 films that influenced Caught Stealing
What critics say influenced Caught Stealing
The film begins with a sort of After Hours feel (complete with a supporting role from Griffin Dunne)…
There are shades of After Hours and Uncut Gems in the escalating anxiety-nightmare stakes…
He may not be as relatable as “After Hours’” Paul Hackett, played by Griffin Dunne, who makes an appearance here as coke snorting dive bar owner Paul…
Caught Stealing stands as a daytime flip on After Hours or Good Time, even if those two have better visual flare.
Admittedly, the film isn’t always able to handle the tonal sways the best, and it never reaches the uniquely thrilling or funny heights of films like After Hours.
It’s not ambitious like, say, “Black Swan” or “The Wrestler,” but there’s comparisons being made to Scorsese’s “After Hours,” which has me excited.
…as vibrant and in step with the beat of the city as perennial favorites like The French Connection and modern classics like Uncut Gems.
William Friedkin’s The French Connection…
…a speeding car under some elevated subway tracks recalls The French Connection…
One need look no further than the first season of Sex and the City for proof of that (with Miranda [Cynthia Nixon] being the most prone to insulting Giuliani).
…the artists, grime, and shady characters had yet to be replaced with Sex and the City fans and midwestern college graduates…
There are some Paul Thomas Anderson vibes, a hint of True Romance, a little Snatch, and a few homages to Scorsese at play in Caught Stealing.
…think of it as the union of Go and Snatch…
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If Inside Llewyn Davis taught us anything, it's that we love a man with a cat.
…even the presence of an unwitting feline sidekick seems to wink at Inside Llewyn Davis.
“Caught Stealing” is also the third movie this month (after David Mackenzie’s “Relay” and Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest”)…
Yes, there are a few sluggish sequences prior to the big action, with twists, finale, but it delivers all the thrills, though not as deftly as the recent RELAY (more stunts and explosives with this new one).
If you can only see one movie that displays the contradictory majesty and grittiness of New York in a riveting sequence that takes place on a New York City subway after a baseball game ends, the movie to see is Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest” (2025)…
“Caught Stealing” is also the third movie this month (after David Mackenzie’s “Relay” and Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest”)…
This is thanks to Aronofsky’s two go-to guys, DP Matthew Libatique — the master of shooting crisp NYC-set thrillers this year (Highest 2 Lowest) — and editor Andrew Weisblum, who gives the movie the right rhythm and pacing to keep you engaged throughout.
…as vibrant and in step with the beat of the city as perennial favorites like The French Connection and modern classics like Uncut Gems.
There are shades of After Hours and Uncut Gems in the escalating anxiety-nightmare stakes…
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…evoking completely out-of-style films of the 1970’s like Little Murders or Freebie and the Bean…
Joseph Sargent’s The Taking of Pelham One Two Three…