The following contains spoilers for Caught StealingCaught Stealing‘s twisty ending features plenty of bloodshed and unexpected turns. A Darren Aronofsky crime caper based on the Charlie Huston book of the same name, Caught Stealing focuses on a bartender in New York City whose willingness to watch his neighbor’s cat ends up dragging him into a complicated web of deceit and death within the city’s criminal underworld.

Caught Stealing is a fast-paced, chaotic, and overall entertaining film, especially as Austin Butler’s Hank becomes more desperate (and dangerous) in his attempts to escape his pursuers. The twists and turns keep Hank (and the audience) guessing, even as friends and foes alike get picked off in shoot-outs and ᴀssᴀssinations.

It all builds to a satisfactory ending for Hank’s arc that could also easily be used to set off an adaptation of the sequel to the original novel. Here’s what happens to Hank in Caught Stealing‘s ending and how it sets up future adventures for the character.

What Happens To Hank In Caught Stealing’s Ending?

Hank is the only major survivor of Caught Stealing‘s chaotic plot, eventually escaping the authorities by fleeing the country with the small fortune he stumbled into. Hank genuinely doesn’t seem to be a bad guy when he’s introduced, simply a mess of a man who is wrestling with his own trauma and hang-ups but generally comes across as a decent person.

Even as the chaos of Aronofsky’s movie becomes more and more dangerous, Hank shows an impressive amount of restraint. Even his steady murder of Russ through repeated head trauma are portrayed largely as accidental, with Hank trying (and failing) to get Russ to a hospital when he fades from his injuries.

Hank ends the film aware that the authorities believe he was at least involved in the murders, but with access to $4 million, which he uses to flee to Tulum with Bud. Although he sends some money to his mother, this effectively gives Hank a fresh start — which he seems to embrace, given his act of ordering a club soda instead of alcohol and willingness to turn off a baseball game.

Who Killed Yvonne & Why In Caught Stealing

Yvonne’s death early in Caught Stealing raises the stakes immensely and adds a tragic (if queasy) layer to the ensuing chaos. Initially, Hank believes that it was Colorado and his men who killed Yvonne, stemming from his decision to call them and hearing the gangster threaten her.

However, Roman argues that Colorado didn’t do it and that it was likely the Drucker brothers, whom Hank had earlier fled from. The trauma and mystery of Yvonne’s death shift slightly to the background over the course of the film, especially as more characters (like Amtrak, Colorado, Paul, Pavel, Russ, and Roman) are steadily picked off

However, one of Caught Stealing‘s big final twists comes after the Drucker Brothers work with Hank to kill Roman. Initially, they all seem content to let one another go their separate ways, the Druckers even planning on giving him a cut of the money for “services rendered.” However, they are revealed to have Yvonne’s distinctive gun lighter, proving they murdered her.

According to Lipa and Schmully, they killed Yvonne because Hank had fled from them when they first came for him. Just like Roman predicted, the pair wanted to send a message to Hank about what could happen if he crossed them again, leading directly to Yvonne’s brutal demise. This sets up Caught Stealing‘s final kills, with Hank purposefully crashing the car to slay both men.

How Caught Stealing Sets Up A Sequel

Caught Stealing ends on a fairly conclusive note for Hank. Having dispatched pretty much everyone who had wanted him ᴅᴇᴀᴅ or serving as a fall guy for the chaos, the film ends with Hank adjusting to his new situation. Even the post-credits sH๏τs of Budd imply that Hank has more or less found peace.

If there’s no sequel to Caught Stealing, that’s a satisfying enough ending. However, there are actually two follow-ups to the book that the movie was based on, which could easily be used as the basis for sequels. Charlie Huston (who wrote both the original books and the film’s screenplay) even sets up the situation that could lead to the next story in Hank’s new home.

The sequel to Caught Stealing was Six Bad Things, which follows Hank’s efforts to remain under the radar in South America — only to discover that the Russian mafia want their money back (and are willing to target his family to get it). Along the way, Hank has to deal with a new ᴀssortment of dangerous weirdos, all while racing to California to protect his mother.

The third entry in the series, A Dangerous Man, forces Hank to keep an eye on an up-and-coming baseball player Miguel Arenas, as part of a deal with the Russians. This eventually forces Hank to return to New York City, a city he escaped once and may not get away from again. These books set the stage for Caught Stealing to potentially set up a new cinematic series for Austin Butler.

The True Meaning Of Caught Stealing

Caught Stealing is very much focused on someone who has spent his life running from his problems. When Hank injured his knee and killed his friend by accidentally crashing his car as a teenager, he fled to the other side of the country. With the help of denial and alcohol, Hank is able to push aside his trauma for a time.

When a new battle erupts and his actions inadvertently lead directly to the deaths of his loved ones, like Yvonne and Russ, Hank initially tries to flee again. However, Hank can only be free (and save the other people in his life) when he fights back. The film equates Hank’s decision to confront his problems with the various criminals to his eventual successful struggle with alcohol dependency.

Yvonne even spells it out for Hank not long before her death, asking Hank if he’s the kind of guy she can trust to stand his ground and fight for what is important. While he’s too late to save her, Hank eventually takes that to heart and becomes the kind of person who could not only survive but thrive in the cutthroat world of Caught Stealing.