Caught Stealing Parent Guide

Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) once aspired to a career in pro baseball until he was sidelined by a knee injury. Now he’s an alcoholic bartender in the Lower East Side of New York, avidly watching the San Francisco Giants, keeping in touch with his mom, and seeing Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz). It may not be what he expected in life, but it could be worse – as he’s about to learn firsthand.

At first, it seems innocuous: His punk neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) must fly to London to see his dying father and asks Hank to look after his cat. But when Russian gangsters turn up, toss Russ’s apartment, and beat Hank half to death, it becomes glaringly apparent that there’s more going on here. And no matter what he does, Hank is in serious danger – he just doesn’t know why.

The first thing you’ll notice about the film is the stacked cast: Apart from Butler, Kravitz, and Smith, you also get Regina King, Liev Schrieber, Vince D’Onofrio, and even Carol Kane. A great cast won’t make or break a movie, but it sure doesn’t hurt. What really boosts this film is that, unlike The Bikeriders, the script actually gives Austin Butler something to do other than smolder at the camera and bleed (not that he doesn’t still do both).

Caught Stealing is a fairly straightforward crime thriller – lots of characters with shifting allegiances and dubious track records, jostling violently with one another in pursuit of some (typically cash-based) MacGuffin. This flick doesn’t play around with the formula much, but it does manage to keep things exciting and unpredictable, which I appreciated. It doesn’t wear out its welcome, either. The runtime barely clears an hour and a half, and that’s about right for the story.

The story is not, however, right for the kids. There’s a veritable deluge of profanity, and I spent so much time with my nose down in my notebook that I feel like I only actually saw half the film. There’s also frequent bloody violence, some explicit sexual content, frequent drinking, and brief drug use. The writers really ran the bases on content issues here, making this a less than ideal choice for family audiences. Adult viewers with no concerns for negative content, on the other hand, are likely to have a perfectly passable time with this fun summer thriller.

About author

Keith Hawkes

Keith Hawkes graduated from Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada with a degree in English and History. His interests are movies, American literature, science fiction, almost every kind of music, and museums. He enjoys criticizing films for fun - although he's okay with being paid for it.