Head back to the ’90s in Darren Aronofsky’s crime thriller Caught Stealing. Austin Butler stars as Hank Thompson, a former baseball player who now works as a bartender in New York’s Lower East Side. When his neighbor asks him to take care of his cat, Hank gets caught up in a criminal conspiracy and becomes a target of the mob.
Reviews for Caught Stealing have been positive, with many describing it as a gritty adventure with a charismatic Butler at the center of the action. If you enjoyed Caught Stealing, then check out these five movies that fall under a similar umbrella.
The Fugitive (1993)
While Butler evades Russian mobsters, Harrison Ford runs from the law for a crime he did not commit in The Fugitive. After being framed for his wife’s murder, Dr. Richard Kimble (Ford) is sentenced to death. On the transport to death row, the prison bus crashes after a riot breaks out, leading Kimble to flee the scene.
Now on the run, Kimble sets out to prove his innocence and find the real killer. Kimble faces his biggest opposition not from the perpetrators but from Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones), a lawman determined to catch his fugitive. The ensuing cat-and-mouse game between Ford and Jones serves as the backbone for a perfect thriller.
Stream The Fugitive on Pluto TV.
Fargo (1996)
Who knew crime could have a wicked sense of humor? Written and directed by the Coen Brothers, Fargo is “based on a true story” of events that took place in Minnesota in 1987. Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) is a small-town car salesman who devises a kidnapping scheme to get out of debt. Jerry hires two criminals (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to abduct his wife so he can collect an $80,000 ransom from her wealthy father.
The plan goes haywire after the thugs kill a state trooper and several witnesses. Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), the pregnant police chief, is brought in to lead the investigation. For all of its hilarity, Fargo is equally as violent, with a moment involving a wood chipper that will be ingrained into your brain.
Stream Fargo on Tubi.
Jackie Brown (1997)
Max Cherry, forever. Coming off the violent Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed a crime saga with heart in Jackie Brown. Pam Grier plays Jackie Brown, a flight attendant who smuggles money from gangster Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson). Jackie is caught by the authorities and bailed out by Max Cherry (Robert Forster), a kindhearted bondsman. To avoid jail time, Jackie agrees to help the FBI catch Ordell.
However, Jackie plans to smuggle the rest of the money for Ordell and steal it at the last moment. There are a lot of moving parts in Jackie Brown, with every character scheming for their own gain. In the end, the deception is irrelevant, as the sweetness and life injected into Tarantino’s characters, notably Jackie and Max, are the film’s lasting legacy.
Stream Jackie Brown on Prime Video.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
The Usual Suspects is undoubtedly known for one thing — the twist ending. Bryan Singer’s crime thriller, based on an Oscar-winning script by Christopher McQuarrie, cemented itself in movie history for those final moments outside of the police station. Con artist Roger “Verbal” Kint (Kevin Spacey) is one of two survivors from a heist gone wrong.
U.S. Customs agent Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) is flown into Los Angeles to interrogate Kint, with the hopes of identifying the mastermind behind the heist, Keyser Soze. Told via flashbacks, Kint recalls how he was recruited by Soze to pull off a job that would net him and his associates millions. In case you’ve never seen it, I’ll stay vague from here on out. Put the phones away for this mystery, or you might miss out on important details.
Stream The Usual Suspects on Prime Video.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Had Butler been around in 1999, he could have easily played the Jude Law part alongside Matt Damon in The Talented Mr. Ripley. Tom Ripley (Damon) is a con man who convinces a businessman that he attended Princeton with his son, Dickie Greenleaf (Law). Tom is paid $1,000 to travel to Italy and persuade Dickie to return to the United States.
Tom finds Dickie, but instead of relaying his father’s message, he befriends him. Tom becomes so obsessed with Dickie that he starts to walk, talk, and dress like him. This game of obsession turns deadly in Anthony Minghella’s sensational adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel.
Stream The Talented Mr. Ripley on Paramount+.
