Caught Stealing ending explained: Hank's final fate in the film

Caught Stealing is a film in the crime thriller dark comedy genre. Darren Aronofsky directed the film, while Charlie Huston is the writer. The film is an adaptation of Huston's namesake book. Sony Pictures Releasing released the film on August 29, 2025. Here's the official synopsis as per Letterboxd:

Burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined.

Let us take a closer look at how the film ends and what happens to its protagonist, Hank.

What is the plot of Caught Stealing?

A still from Caught Stealing | Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment

Caught Stealing takes place in New York City in the 1990s and chronicles the life of Henry Thompson, aka Hank (played by Austin Butler). He used to be a successful baseball player but is now a bartender and has a girlfriend named Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz), who is a paramedic. Hank is drawn into the criminal world when his neighbor, Russ (Matt Smith), asks him to watch his cat while he is away.

How does Caught Stealing end?

Towards the end of Caught Stealing, Russ dies from injuries he sustained during his exchange with Aleksei and Pavel. Later, Det. Elise Roman (Regina King) calls Hank and threatens to eliminate his mother if he doesn't bring the key to a supper club. Hank immediately informs his mother and subsequently surrenders in front of the Druckers. They make a deal in which they would kill Roman, and Hank would tell them about the money.

After confronting Roman, Hank manages to set himself free using a lighter. He then takes Roman's weapons, leaving her vulnerable, and the Druckers kill her immediately. Hank is let go by the brothers after revealing that the key was in Bud's bandage. Through the lighter, he realizes that Yvonne was klled by the brothers. Hank then crashes the car, killing the brothers.

As the film nears its end, we see Hank impersonating Russ to leave the US with Bud. They have the money with them. Hank gives half of the money to his mother and reaches Tulum to start fresh.

The story ends on a happy note, with Hank moving on from the ordeal and starting a new life. Film director Darren Aronofsky spoke to EW about Hank's ending, saying:

"It's a sad situation. We wanted to give him a little bit of hope and potential. "Both me and Austin are exhausted and at the end of Hank's journey but we'll see what popular demand says."

Although the film has a conclusive ending, the original novel provides more material to continue the character’s journey. The original novel has two sequels, so the makers could follow that story to continue the protagonist's journey.

What do you think of the movie's ending?