The trailer for the upcoming movie from Matt Smith and Austin Butler has just released its trailer, and I am cautiously optimistic. Both actors have had active careers in recent years. Going off of some smaller roles earlier in his career, Butler had his breakout role in 2022 when he portrayed music icon Elvis Presley in Elvis. He later had a key role in last year’s sci-fi sequel Dune: Part Two, highlighting his growing stardom. Smith is best known for Doctor Who, but has made waves recently with his role in House of the Dragon.
Now, Butler and Smith will star together in Caught Stealing. This 2025 crime thriller is directed by Darren Aronofsky and based on the books by Charlie Huston, who also penned the screenplay. The plot follows a former baseball player named Hank Thompson (Butler) who inadvertently finds himself wrapped up in the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City. In addition to Smith and Butler, Caught Stealing‘s cast includes Zoë Kravitz, D’Pharaoh Woo-A-Tai, Liev Schreiber, Vincent Donofrio, and Liev Schreiber.
Caught Stealing Trailer Reveals A Very Fun Cat & Mouse Chase With Austin Butler
A Lot Of Money Is At Stake
The trailer for Caught Stealing has now been revealed. The very opening frames are action-packed, giving a sense of the life that Hank will eventually fall into. More of his personal life is revealed, including his job at the local bar and his PDA-filled relationship with his lover. When his friend Russ (Smith) shows up at his apartment and asks Hank to take care of his cat, the ex-baseball player winds up getting himself involved in a crime ring.
Later in the trailer, it is revealed that Russ has over $4 million in a storage unit, compelling him to be the subject of a cat-and-mouse chase. Said chase sees an eclectic mix of characters thrown together, including Russian, Puerto Rican, and Hebrew groups. The result looks to be a fun and action-packed thriller, featuring engaging performances from Butler and Smith. Caught Stealing is set for release on August 29, and though it is exciting, it is also surprising for one big reason.
Caught Stealing Tonally Feels Different From Past Darren Aronofsky Movies
The Director Has Yet To Make A Comedy
The fact that Caught Stealing is directed by Aronofsky gives it an additional layer of clout, as the director has been behind some acclaimed works. He has been nominated for Best Director in the past and his films have gotten other awards. His feature film career began with Pi in 1998 and has continued with movies such as Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, and his most recent fiction film, The Whale. What is curious about this latest project, however, is that it takes on a radically different tone than his previous work.
Based on the trailer, this latest work does not seem to go nearly as deeply into its characters’ mental states, setting it apart from the rest of Aronofsky’s oeuvre.
This is not to say that the director’s past work has all been the same. Mother!‘s fantastical story is far different from the grounded, real-life drama of The Whale, for instance. However, none of Aronofsky’s work has been as fun, comical, and light-hearted as Caught Stealing seems to be. A lot of his work, including Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream, has also been intensely psychological. Based on the trailer, his latest work does not seem to go nearly as deeply into its characters’ mental states, setting it apart from the rest of Aronofsky’s oeuvre.
Caught Stealing Is Interesting, But I Also Have To Be Cautious
Not All Aronofsky Experiments Have Been Positive
On the one hand, it is exciting to see an established director go so far outside his comfort zone. He is not covering completely new ground, as Caught Stealing is based on a novel, allowing Aronofsky to adapt previous work. The book, however, has been described in the suspense, mystery, and thriller genres; the movie’s trailer makes it out to have a more comedic tone. This makes it such that the movie traipses into new territory in more ways than one, and that could be a fascinating challenge.
Aronofsky sometimes strayed too far into melodrama with The Whale, so a dark comedy could be a good shift. On the other hand, I have to be cautious in my excitement about Caught Stealing. While Aronofsky has produced some great films, his movies have not all been well-received. I thought Mother! was a bit of a chaotic mess at times, and prioritized narrative oddities over coherent theming. As such, it is possible that his venture into a new genre and tone territory could risk taking some of the pitfalls of his previous work, as intriguing as his first comedy-leaning effort may be. Still, it’s worth being cautiously optimistic about his latest project.
