When his punk rock Neighbour, Russ (Matt Smith), asks him to look after his cat while he’s gone, burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City and is forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined.

 

This movie came as a real surprise to me, I hadn’t seen much about it so went in without any expectations or real knowledge of what the film was going to be like. It turned out to be a fantastic mix of crime, thriller and dark comedy that worked perfectly. Caught Stealing hooked me in straight away and kept me entertained all the way through. The comedy was sharp and didn’t undercut any of the tension of the film giving it a unique edge.

 

The actors were all fantastic, Austin Butler was a stand out, fully embodying his character. I felt like I was along on the journey with him trying to figure out what was going on. And at the same time as him making every twist and turn believable and compelling. 

 

The directing and cinematography were anything but lacking, the way the shots were framed as well as the pacing of the film pulled me right into Hank’s world. We were thrown into the chaos of Hank's world right there with him without all the answers and slowly piecing everything together bit by bit. It really heightened the suspense.

 

Overall Caught Stealing is a fantastic fresh take with a mix of comedy, crime and thriller. Very engaging with great writing, direction and some fantastic performances across the board, especially from Butler! It’s definitely one I’d recommended checking out.