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New Movie Features Jewish Villains — But Is an Entertaining Ride
Actor Liev Schreiber. Photo: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons.
There are good people and bad people in every religion. Because Hasidic Jews are so seldomly depicted in film and TV, people are understandably sensitive and would like them to be shown in a positive light.
Darren Aronofsky’s new film, Caught Stealing, features two Hasidic men, Lipa and Shmully (Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio), who are gun-toting murderers looking to get millions.
There is a funny scene where actor Austin Butler, who stars as the film’s protagonist, Hank Thompson, dons a yarmulke and eats matzah ball soup, sitting next to the two men.
But many will argue it’s not funny for Regina King, who plays Detective Roman, to call them “monsters” and tell Hank they are the worst — even worse than the Russian mobsters, who are the main villains.
Based on the book by Charlie Huston, the story is purposely outrageous, though in the novel, the men are not Hasidic. Instead, they are named Ed and Paris — they are Black and wear cowboy hats.
In the film, Hank thinks he is cat-sitting for a friend, but things go badly as Russians, as well as Lipa and Shmully, want a key that will lead to a large fortune. And they’ll kill to get it.
Butler is fantastic, and shows that he can play any role. While the Russians are a bit stereotypical, Nikita Kukushkin gives a fine performance as a brute with a sense of humor, playing Pavel.
Jewish actress Carol Kane appears briefly to serve the men the matzah ball soup before Shabbat.
There are a number of twists and turns, and Caught Stealing succeeds because it is gritty, yet all the performances are believable. Butler and his love interest have real chemistry on screen, King is purposely annoying, Schreiber is a man that has a heart, while brutal at the same time, and there are a few words of Yiddish spoken between the two men.
The scene at a Jewish home might have worked better at a kosher restaurant, but that is being nitpicky. Schreiber adds a lot to the film and elevates it because of his steadiness and presence.
The film is fast-paced and makes a farcical story seem almost plausible. Caught Stealing is a fun film that has a lot of juice, action, laughs, and style that many films have been lacking. I would have liked it to be a bit longer with Schreiber on screen a bit more, but the story had to focus on Hank.
While I prefer Jewish characters without stereotypes, I don’t buy that the film is bad for Jews as some fear — nor do I think it is good for Jews. It’s a movie with Jewish characters who happen to be villains in this case, and people are smart enough to know that there are good and bad people of all types. The job of filmmakers is to give us something we haven’t seen before. and Caught Stealing certainly qualifies.
The author is a writer based in New York.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.