The director who brought us Black Swan and The Wrestler is back with a new, pulse-pounding crime movie. Set in 1998 in New York City, the new filmfrom Darren Aronofsky, Caught Stealing, is perhaps the most under-the-radar cool movie of the summer.
And now, with early reviews in, Caught Stealing has a very, very strong opening Rotten Tomatoes score. Here’s what the critics are saying, and when the movie hits theaters.
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Caught Stealing‘sRotten Tomatoes score is good, but not perfect
With a smattering of early reviews in, the opening Rotten Tomatoes score for Caught Stealingis 85 percent. This is with just 13 critical reviews in so far. Expect that number to fluctuate as more film reviews are added in the coming days.
“For the most part, Caught Stealing is a riotous, rollicking ride studded with New York’s concrete grit,” Ben Travis said in his review for Empire. Meanwhile, Giovanni Lago, writing for Next Best Picture, summed up Caught Stealing in opposition to its summer blockbuster competitors: “Who would have guessed the most entertaining release of the season wouldn’t be about superheroes or dinosaurs, but a sexily scuzzy action thriller about a washed-up baseball player stumbling through New York’s underworld?”
Some critics have pointed out that the humor and drama of the film are sometimes a bit uneven, but overall, the cast and Aronofsky deliver the goods.
Caught Stealing Plot
The aforementioned “washed-up baseball player” is the character of Hank, played by Austin Butler. While cat-sitting for Russ (Matt Smith), Hank and his would-be girlfriend Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz) get wrapped up in a massive crime caper, which touches all corners of the NYC underworld in the year 1998. Caught Stealing is based on the novel of the same name by Charlie Huston, who also worked on the screenplay for the movie.
Although the 1982 song from the Clash, “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” is prominent in the trailer, the movie is decidedly a ’90s flick, a sort of mix of Guy Ritchie movie, combined with something that feels like a modern-day Trainspotting. And with cool guys Smith and Butler front and center, it’s also the last must-see movie of the summer.
Caught Stealing is out in theaters on Friday, August 29.
This story was originally reported by Men’s Journal on Aug 27, 2025, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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