Caught Stealing: a competent comedy crime caper starring Austin Butler and soundtracked by IDLES

2 September 2025, 17:03 | Updated: 2 September 2025, 17:07

What we thought of Darren Aronofsky's crime caper, starring Austin Butler, and scored by IDLES.

Caught Stealing has been entertaining audiences since it was released at the end of last month.

The crime caper - starring Austin Butler, Zoe Krävitz, Regina King, Matt Smith and Bad Bunny - isn't the first thing that you'd imagine to come from director Darren Aronofsky.

After all, he's best known for helming films at the more dark and serious end of the spectrum such as Requiem For A Dream (2000), Black Swan (2010) and The Whale (2022).

So how does the decidedly un-serious Caught Stealing fare in comparison? Find out what we thought below...

Watch the trailer for Caught Stealing

What is Caught Stealing about?

A synopsis reads: "Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) was a high-school baseball phenom who can’t play anymore, but everything else is going okay. He’s got a great girl (Zoë Kravitz), tends bar at a New York dive, and his favorite team is making an underdog run at the pennant.

"When his punk-rock neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) asks him to take care of his cat for a few days, Hank suddenly finds himself caught in the middle of a motley crew of threatening gangsters. They all want a piece of him; the problem is he has no idea why. As Hank attempts to evade their ever-tightening grip, he’s got to use all his hustle to stay alive long enough to find out…"

Who directs Caught Stealing?

Caught Stealing is directed by Academy Award® nominee Darren Aronofsky, screenplay by Charlie Huston, based on his book of the same name.

Who stars in Caught Stealing?

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

Caught Stealing review:

Caught Stealing is a brutal, irreverent and exciting crime caper, which will have you squirming and laughing in your seats at the same time. Austin Butler's charisma shines throughout and Zoe Kravitz makes for a insatiable love interest, with Regina King packing a punch in her role as New York cop. Matt Smith provides some comic relief as the cockney punk, as does Bad Bunny in his role of drug lord Colorado. All being said, Caught Stealing is just entertaining justify a trip to the cinema and its IDLES-scored soundtrack helps some in driving the action throughout, but it's not going to change your life, though adorable cat and arguable star-of-the-show Bud just might.

3/5

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Who's on the Caught Stealing soundtrack?

The Caught Stealing soundtrack was scored by American composer Rob Simonsen in collaboration with IDLES, who's new track Rabbit Run also features in the film.

Listen to the full motion picture soundtrack artwork and see its and tracklisting below:

Caught Stealing Official Soundtrack’ tracklist:

1. 6th and A

2. Doom

3. Kim’s Video

4. Tompkins Square Park

5. 5th Floor Walk Up

6. Walk/Don’t Walk

7. Loisaida

8. Cheerleader

9. Coper

10. Flushing, Queens

11. Police & Thieves

12. Bay 15

13. Blessings and Successes

14. Alphabet City

15. Under the EL

16. Rabbit Run

IDLES frontman Joe Talbot says of the collaboration: “This has been a huge opportunity for us that seemingly came about after a chance meeting backstage at Fallon when we both happened to be guests on the same day. But in hindsight, I realise that Darren is one of my favourite directors and his films have in some ways made me who I am as an artist. This lucid dream has been a lifetime in the making and one that I will live over and over with a huge sense of humility and joy.” Darren

Aronofsky comments, “I built Caught Stealing to be a roller coaster of fun and wanted to supercharge the film by main lining  a punk sensibility. I don’t think a band has really been tasked with performing a score for a movie. Who better to collaborate with than IDLES?  It has been a dream watching them bend their notes to blast a hole in our movie screen.”

American composer Rob Simonsen adds, "I was really excited by the idea that Darren had for our third project together, which was to write a score for IDLES, using them as our orchestra. They had created original songs for the film, and building a palette that started from their sound – the incredible textures they create through inventive use of feedback, distortion, and pedals – was a really satisfying challenge. Our work with the band was genuinely inspiring. They’re not only extraordinarily talented musicians, but individuals with clear eyes, big hearts, and bold souls."

Caught Stealing is available to watch in cinemas now.

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