Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing follows Hank Thompson (Austin Butler), a washed-up baseball player turned reluctant bartender. Caught Stealing marks Darren Aronofsky’s first notable foray into the comedy genre, a bold move from a filmmaker better known for psychological intensity. Caught Stealing is separate from Aronofsky’s earlier grit, and a long distance from his more recent and more divisive projects like Mother! Blending crime, action and humour, Caught Stealing reaches for the anarchic energy of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and the offbeat charm of The Long Goodbye (and even pays homage to the latter’s iconic cat scene). It’s a shame that Caught Stealing often ends up caught in its own contradictions.