So I just watched the Caught Stealing trailer and it’s giving me all the Guy Ritchie vibes. Fast cuts, snarky gangsters, a groovy soundtrack, a couple of musicians-turned-actors and that classic chaotic wrong-man trope that I adore in a crime comedy. But here’s the twist: Darren Aronofsky is directing and producing.

That’s right, the man whose worked has repeatedly left me emotionally scarred is behind this pitch-black comedy caper with Austin Butler and Zoë Kravitz. Here’s what I’ve learned about the film so far.

It’s Based on a Charlie Huston Novel

Caught Stealing is adapted from Charlie Huston’s 2005 novel, which kicks off his Hank Thompson trilogy. Huston also wrote the screenplay, so the movie isn’t just loosely inspired by the book, it’s his voice all the way through.

His writing style is fast, gritty and full of sharp, dry humor. If the film sticks close to the source material, expect a mix of pulp crime energy, offbeat characters and, of course, some violence.

The Plot: A Once-Promising Athlete Does a Good Deed for the Wrong Person

Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) was a high school baseball star until an injury shattered his dreams. Now he’s bartending in lower Manhattan, dating a laid-back girlfriend named Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz), and trying to keep things low-key as he works through what to do with his life.

But when his super-intense punk-rock neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) asks Hank to watch his cat, he agrees—only to get pulled into a world of violent gangsters and warring crime syndicates. And poor Hank has no idea what they want from him or how to stop them.

Aronofsky Takes a Page From Guy Ritchie

If you told me a decade ago that Darren Aronofsky—the director responsible for gloom-and-doom movies like The Wrestler and Requiem for a Dream—was making a Guy Ritchie-style crime comedy, I’d have laughed. But here we are, and I am intrigued.

The trailer is packed with those quick cuts, gangsters arguing, lead actors being repeatedly punched in the face for laughs and a car chase set to The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should Go.” I immediately got a big RocknRolla vibe from the trailer, and I’m here for it.

Though it is Aronofsky, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there was at least one gut-wrenching twist in here somewhere.

A Star-Studded Ensemble

Besides Butler and Kravitz, the cast is stacked with Regina King, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio and Matt Smith, with a full mohawk, looking like he time-traveled from a Sex Pistols concert in ’77.

Fun fact: Patrick Wilson was originally cast in Butler’s role but had to bow out, paving the way for an iconic pairing with Kravitz. Also, the cast featurestwo musicians-turned-actors: Bad Bunny and Action Bronson.

Bad Bunny has already proven he’s a solid actor with notable roles in Bullet Train and American Sole, while Action Bronson brought his serious chops to Uncut Gems and The Irishman.

Release Date Showdown: Caught Stealing vs Toxic Avenger and The Roses

Mark your calendars for August 29, 2025, because Caught Stealing drops the same day as the new Toxic Avenger movie starring Peter Dinklage and The Roses, a comedy-drama with Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman and Andy Samberg.

So the box-office competition will be pretty stiff. But I really hope crime comedy fans come through to see what Aronofsky and his all-star crew have cooked up because I love this genre and want to see more of my fave filmmakers work their magic in it.