Caught Stealing
A gritty crime flick with flashes of brilliance
ESTIMATED domestic box office revenue
$15 – 24MM
Mythosis universal quests used
4
Audience appeal
~0.50%
Hidden potential
$465– 517MM
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Caught Stealing trades his usual operatic intensity for a grimy, chaotic plunge into 1990s New York. Adapted from Charlie Huston’s pulp novel, the film blends noir violence with dark comedy. The story follows a bartender forced into a violent underworld who must outwit a corrupt cop, ruthless mobsters and relentless Hasidic hitmen to stay alive.
Caught Stealing is a bold, stylish descent into madness. It is raw, unpredictable, and sometimes brilliant in its chaotic energy. Aronofsky’s affection for pre-millennial New York shines through with vivid texture and atmosphere. However, the emotional stakes and supporting arcs could benefit from deeper development. With refinement it could evolve into a more cohesive and resonant thriller without losing its daring edge.
1. The invisible plot structure of Caught Stealing
1A. Script of Caught Stealing borrows 89% of its events from 4 mythological tales
The desire to punish offenders drives Hank’s quest of Vengeance. The quest borrows events from the tale of Dron from Hindu mythology. Both Dron and Hank seek to avenge betrayal and the humiliation of their loved ones.
Hank is also driven by the quest of Tranquillity. The quest borrows events from the tale of Odysseus in Greek mythology. Both Odysseus & Hank navigate their way through hostile territory.
Every human desire has two universal quests, fulfilled and unfulfilled. Hank pursues the fulfilled quest for Vengeance whereas Roman the unfulfilled one.
The desire to punish offenders drives Roman’s quest of Vengeance. The quest borrows events from the tale of Duryodhan in Hindu mythology. Duryodhan’s treacherous attempt to take over the kingdom is similar to Roman trying to acquire the Key.
The desire for Honour drives the Druckers brothers’ quest. The quest borrows events from the tale of Hanuman in Hindu mythology. Both Hanuman & Druckers brothers become loyal allies of those that they initially suspected. Though their action of “killing Yvonne” is a departure!
Mythosis plot structure
30,763
Tales interweaved
Duryodhan, Dron, Hanuman
I. How does interweaving mythological tales lead to infinite story plots?
II. Can the pursuit of a Desire have more than one quest?
2. Potential of Caught Stealing's plot structure: $15 – 24MM
The interweaving of 32 mythological tales can generate a billion unique stories. By using these 32 tales, we can extract the plot structure of any story across various genres. Our study of blockbuster, hit, and flop plot structures led to the discovery of the Mythosis Code. The Code is a set of principles for creating compelling stories. These storytelling principles reveal the strength of a story’s plot structure.
2A. Plot structure evaluation of Caught Stealing
- All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Caught Stealing uses 4 universal quests of Tranquillity, Honour and two of Vengeance. However, only the quests of Vengeance are used substantially.
- In Blockbusters, every character mirrors ONLY ONE universal quest. Hank borrows from the universal quests of Vengeance and Tranquillity.
- Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Hank borrows 21% events from the universal quest of Vengeance and 6% from the quest of Tranquillity. Roman borrows 12% from the unfulfilled quest of Vengeance. The Druckers brothers borrow less than 7% from the quest of Honour.
- Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Caught Stealing’s quest interweaving score of 0.67 is above par. Hank’s quest is interwoven with the quests of Roman as well as the Druckers brothers.
2B. Box office revenue estimation of Caught Stealing
Caught Stealing’s script has breadth and a robust interweaving of quests.
However, it lacks depth in secondary quests, which weakens emotional layering and thematic resonance.
Hank’s dual questing makes his character passive and inconsistent.
The Script Score measures the potency of a plot structure. Higher its adherence to the principles of Mythosis Code, greater is the potency. The Script Score helps estimate a movie’s audience appeal & revenues. Blockbuster plot structures have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of the audiences.
Script Score
0.02
Audience appeal
~0.50%
I. How is Mythosis Code used to estimate revenues?
II. Aren’t box-office revenues influenced by several factors beyond just the story plot?
3. Ideal plot structure of Caught Stealing
We have identified 32 mythological tales. These are the superset of all tales across cultures. The quests of these tales have recurred over time periods. They represent human behaviours embedded in our shared memories. Each tale is the richest expression of the pursuit of a human desire. The tales have a unique pattern of events spread over 5 major arcs.
32 mythological tales strengthen the story and unlock its hidden potential. First, we map a character’s quest to the relevant mythological tale. This exercise reveals the gaps in their quest, if any. Second, identify missing events to plug the gaps. Plugging gaps deepens the character quest. Third, use missing events to strengthen the interweaving between various quests.
3A. Gaps in the current plot structure
Hank’s arc focusses on two universal quests. Ideally it should focus solely on the quest of Vengeance.
The underdeveloped quests of Roman & the Druckers brothers makes their journey shallow.
Moreover, the plot forfeits the full potential of quest interweaving due to underutilization.
3B. Unlocking the hidden potential
Mythosis plot structure #30,763 unlocks the hidden potential of Caught Stealing transforming it into a high-stakes, emotionally resonant thriller. The plot weaves the two universal quests of Vengeance with the quest of Honour. It deepens existing quests in the current story. Removes the unnecessary quest of Tranquillity and misplaced event (death of Yvonne) in Druckers brothers quest of Honour.
The enhanced story retains all the characters and settings but with engaging character journeys. Three examples from the Mythosis plot structure #30,763 are
- Yvonne’s murder: Roman kills Yvonne to erase all trace of her involvement
- Abduction of Hank’s mother: Roman’s leverage over Hank
- Hank, a fugitive from law: Roman implicates Hank for the deaths of Russ & Yvonne
By aligning individual characters with their respective universal quest, the story dramatically increases its emotional reach and commercial success. Mythosis plot structure #30,763 can generate a lifetime domestic revenue of $465 – 517MM.
Access Mythosis Plot structure # 30,763 – the unique blockbuster blueprint of Caught Stealing
Tags: Duryodhan, Vengeance, Hanuman, Honour, Dron, Odysseus, Tranquillity, Darren Aronofsky, Charlie Huston, Columbia Pictures, Protozoa Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing, 2025