Naman Shrestha
With Darren Aronofsky at the helm, ‘Caught Stealing’ is based on the eponymous novel by Charlie Huston. The comedy crime thriller movie centers on Hank Thompson, who was once a high school baseball prospect. Unfortunately, his bright future in baseball gets derailed as he turns into an alcoholic bartender in New York City instead. Unaware of the secrets his punk-rock neighbor and his cat hold, Hank agrees to take care of the latter when the neighbor asks him for the favor, just for a few days until he returns.
While the former baseball player is staying at his neighbor’s place, he is visited by Russian mobsters, a hit man, a pair of psycho brothers, and a cop, all of whom are in the middle of a treasure hunt. As he gets caught up in the middle of the criminal underbelly of the Big Apple, Hank struggles to survive the gangsters’ ambushes along the way. The action-packed film is brought to life by the stellar performances of Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Griffin Dunne, Bad Bunny, and Carol Kane. Set in 1990s New York City, the appropriate backdrops enhance the overall narrative and provide the viewers with an immersive watch.
Caught Stealing Filming Locations
The shooting of ‘Caught Stealing’ was reportedly conducted in New York and Mexico, particularly in New York City and Tulum. According to reports, principal photography for the Austin Butler starrer got underway in September 2024 and continued for a couple of months before wrapping up in November of the same year.
New York City, New York
Most of the pivotal sequences for ‘Caught Stealing’ were lensed across the various boroughs of New York City, including Brooklyn and Queens. The production team extensively utilized the neighborhoods and streets of Manhattan as they taped several important exterior scenes in the neighborhood of Chinatown, with various Chinese establishments and businesses in the backdrop. The crew members also recreated a storefront on Avenue A, which features in the film.
In Brooklyn, the neighborhood of Brighton Beach also served as one of the filming sites. The production designer, Mark Friedberg, accurately redecorated the streets and exteriors to realistically capture the look of the Big Apple around the late 1990s, adding a layer of authenticity to the narrative. During a conversation with Variety, Austin Butler, who portrays Hank Thompson, admitted that he slept on the set, which was his East Village apartment in the film.
He stated, “For one night, I had the whole apartment to myself. I played music, I danced around, and I ate Chinese food in there. It made me feel like I really lived there. I slept there all night, and I woke up to the crew coming in while I was in my underwear.” Elaborating on the importance of that process, he added, “It made it feel like it wasn’t a set anymore. There are many things that conspire against you when you’re making a movie. You’ve got the lights and the camera, and the set doesn’t have a ceiling, because they’ve got to light it from above. It’s tempting to look around and break the illusion. So the more I can do to trick myself, the more important it is.”
Tulum, Mexico
A minor chunk of ‘Caught Stealing’ was also reportedly shot in the ancient city of Tulum, which is situated in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Since numerous exterior and interior portions were supposedly taped in Tulum, you might even spot a few popular landmarks and places of attraction in the background, such as Pyramid El Castillo, Temple of the Frescoes, the Temple of the Descending God, and many more. Over the years, it has hosted the production of many films, including ‘Planet Terror,’ ‘Against All Odds,’ ‘Gringo,’ and ‘World Express – Atemlos durch Mexiko.’
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