A Twisted Take On The John Wick Formula

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Caught Stealing!

Caught Stealing plays with several tropes that have been popularized by one of the most successful action franchises in Hollywood. Ever since establishing himself as a leading man with 2022’s Elvis, Austin Butler has been on a hot streak, and that continues with Caught Stealing, his newest movie, which is directed by Darren Aronofsky.

In the film, which is based on Charlie Huston’s 2004 novel of the same name, Butler’s Hank Thompson is a bartender who gets pulled into New York City’s crime underworld and is forced to fight for his life. Ever since its release, reviews for Caught Stealing have been great, and critics and fans have specifically noted how exceptional Butler is in the leading role.

There are many twists and turns from the beginning to the end of Caught Stealing, easily making it one of the most entertaining and unpredictable movies of the year. The film also proves that Butler should continue to explore the action genre moving forward. Aronofsky’s movie is definitely not a traditional action film, but Caught Stealing does steal some tropes from a major action franchise.

Caught Stealing Flips Many Aspects Of The John Wick Franchise On Its Head

Without a doubt, the John Wick movies make up one of the most influential action franchises of this century. Ever since the release of the first film in 2014, fans have loved watching Keanu Reeves’ now-iconic assassin of few words seek revenge for the death of his dog and wage war against the High Table.

The death of his dog is the inciting incident for John Wick movie, and the relationship between man and animal is important throughout. To some surprise, in Caught Stealing, it’s a cat that sets the stage for Hank’s action-packed journey, flipping the trope on its head somewhat.

Unbeknownst to Hank, Russ hid a key in his cat’s litter box that opens up a storage locker, which just so happens to contain millions of dollars that a lot of criminals are after. Since Russ is gone, the criminals choose to instead target Hank in Caught Stealing.

Thankfully, the cat doesn’t die in Caught Stealing, and actually comes with Hank as he tries to outsmart some of New York City’s most dangerous criminals.

However, Hank’s love interest, Yvonne, is murdered near the beginning of the film. It’s surprising to see Zoë Kravitz’s Yvonne die so early in Caught Stealing, but her death creates another similarity between Butler’s character and Reeves’ assassin.

Hank grieves the loss of Yvonne, while John Wick’s revenge mission allows him to let out pent-up emotions that he is feeling following his wife’s death. Therefore, both Hank and John Wick are intriguing protagonists with a specific set of skills who lose loved ones and enter the world of crime because of a pet.

Caught Stealing Gives Hank The Ending John Wick Might Never Get

In both Caught Stealing and the John Wick movies, it is consistently pointed out that the protagonists are trapped in the criminal underworld. At several points in Caught Stealing, it seems like Hank will end up either dead or in jail. Meanwhile, it seems like John Wick will never truly escape the world he walked back into for revenge.

For John Wick, this is probably true. Even though Reeves’ character took out many enemies across four movies, he seemingly died at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4. Hank, on the other hand, gets a happier ending in Caught Stealing. At the end of the film, Hank manages to take out all his enemies and flees New York with millions of dollars.

He sends half of the money to his mother in California and goes to Mexico with the rest. Laura Dern’s cameo at the end of Caught Stealing suggests that there may be a sequel. After all, Huston wrote two follow-up novels which continue Hank Thompson’s story. However, for now, Hank has escaped the world of crime and is living a peaceful life in Mexico.

John Wick will likely never get a happy ending like this. Even though there are clues that he is actually still alive, the confirmation of John Wick 5 suggests that any peace he may have found won’t last for long.

Time will tell whether Hank will get pulled back into the world of crime in a sequel to Caught Stealing, but for now, he received a much happier ending than John Wick.

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  Caught Stealing
  

  
  

  7/10

  Release Date

  August 29, 2025
  

  Director

  Darren Aronofsky

  Writers

  Charlie Huston

  Producers

  Ari Handel, Jeremy Dawson

  
  

  
  

  
  

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  Created by

  Derek Kolstad

  First Film

  John Wick

  Latest Film

  John Wick: Chapter 4

  Upcoming Films

  Ballerina

  First TV Show

  The Continental

  Latest TV Show

  The Continental

  “John Wick” is a neo-noir action-thriller franchise centered around a retired hitman who returns to the criminal underworld to seek vengeance. Known for its intense and stylistic action sequences, the franchise has redefined modern action cinema with its choreographed gunfights, hand-to-hand combat, and intricate world-building. The series explores themes of loyalty, honor, and survival in a secret society of assassins.