"Caught Stealing" Trailer: Austin Butler Gets Dragged Into NYC Chaos in Darren Aronofsky’s Darkly Comic Crime Thriller with Matt Smith and Zoë Kravitz

Austin Butler stars in Darren Aronofsky’s criminal caper about a man caught between dangerous factions in New York City

One of the many reasons New York is considered one of the greatest cities in the world is its incredible blend of ethnic cultures and colorful communities. It’s a true melting pot where people from all walks of life come together to create a vibrant, one-of-a-kind atmosphere. The city becomes a place where anyone can experience and enjoy the richness of so many beautifully diverse groups.

Now, that’s the upside. The downside? If you ever get caught doing something you shouldn’t in New York City… well, you’re not just dealing with one group of angry people, you’ve got a whole mix of angry people coming for you. And they don’t mess around. Because here’s the thing: if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. But if you can’t make it in New York... Well, good luck trying somewhere else.

Caught Stealing is the latest film from acclaimed New York-born filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, who has often used the city as a rich backdrop in several of his previous films.

For instance, in Aronofsky’s debut film, the 1998 techno-paranoia indie classic Pi, New York City transforms into a black-and-white claustrophobic cage that mirrors protagonist Max Cohen’s unraveling mental state as he spirals into a mad obsession with number theory and probabilities. In Black Swan, a dark psychological thriller set within a New York City ballet company, the city itself takes on a nightmarish quality, becoming a hallucinatory landscape that reflects Natalie Portman’s fragile mental state. And let’s not forget Aronofsky’s stark and unflinching portrait of drug addiction in Requiem for a Dream, where Coney Island becomes a haunting symbol of lost innocence and shattered dreams, and the city itself turns into a suffocating ocean of dark consequences.

So, Aronofsky once again returns to the city he clearly loves, but also loves to expose for its dark underbelly. This time, however, it looks like he might be keeping things a little lighter than usual, as this one feels more like a madcap adventure within the city than his typically intense fare. Still dark, still brimming with wild characters on the fringes, but also infused with a sense of chaotic energy and twisted fun that sets it apart from his heavier work. At least that’s the vibe we’re getting from the film’s first official trailer, released today.

In the upcoming film, Austin Butler stars as Hank Thompson, a once-promising high school baseball star whose dreams were dashed after a career-ending injury. These days, he’s just trying to get by in New York City, leaning on his charm, good looks, and the support of his bartender girlfriend (played by Zoë Kravitz). But when Hank agrees to do a favor for his neighbor, a rowdy English punk rocker named Russ (Matt Smith), things take a sharp turn.

All Hank has to do is look after Russ’s cat while he flies back to England on business. Easy, right? Not exactly.

Hank soon finds out Russ has burned some serious bridges. He owes large sums of stolen cash to some very dangerous people, and now they’re out for blood. Caught in the crossfire, Hank becomes an unwilling accomplice in the chaos. Before long, he’s got the Russians, the Puerto Ricans, and the Hebrews all coming after him and Russ.

Coming off the 2022 emotionally heavy (no pun intended) drama The Whale, which saw Brendan Fraser taking home a Best Actor Oscar, it seems Aronofsky might have been looking for a different tune to tackle. Caught Stealing, though a criminal caper through New York, does feel like a different Aronofsky. Perhaps, it’s Aronofsky doing a Coen Bros-like romp complete with a house cat, mistaken identity, a cast of oddball characters with various degrees of danger.

Written by television writer and novelist Charlie Huston (Gotham, Powers) and based on his own novel of the same name, Caught Stealing co-stars Regina King, Liev Schreiber, Griffin Dunne, Benito A Martínez Ocasio aka Bad Bunny, Carol Kane, Will Brill, Griffin Dunne, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, and Action Bronson.

The film is slated to hit theaters August 29th. Watch the film’s first official trailer, above.

Official Synopsis:

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…