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Thief (1981)

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Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 4
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 1

audience

76

liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 5,979

My Rating

Movie Info

In Thief, James Caan plays Frank, a professional jewel thief who wants to marry Jessie (Tuesday Weld) and settle down into a normal life. In order to achieve his dream of a family, Frank--who is used to working solo--has to align himself with a crime boss named Leo (Robert Prosky), who will help him gain the money he needs to begin his domestic life. Frank plans to retire after the heist, yet he finds himself indebted to Leo and he struggles to break free. Thief is the first feature film from

May 15, 2001

MGM Home Entertainment

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All Critics (20) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (19) | Rotten (1) | DVD (3)

A slick Chicago crime-drama with a well-developed sense of pathos running throughout.

March 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Variety
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A philosophical thriller filled with modernist cool.

January 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's one of those films where you feel the authority right away: This movie knows its characters, knows its story, and knows exactly how it wants to tell us about them.

October 23, 2004 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Mr. Mann may well become a very good theatrical film maker but, among other things, he's going to have to learn how to edit himself, to resist the temptation to allow dialogue that is colorful to turn, all of a sudden, into deep, abiding purple.

August 30, 2004 Full Review Source: New York Times | Comment (1)
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

neo-Melvillian existentialism

April 19, 2010 Full Review Source: CinePassion
CinePassion

Not just the best film of [Michael Mann's] career, but one of the best American films of the whole of the 1980s.

June 5, 2009 Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy
Antagony & Ecstasy

A tough and intense crime thriller. James Caan gives one of his finest performances.

October 8, 2005
Fantastica Daily

A cool action film.

November 28, 2004 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Thief embues the crime story genre with fresh sophistication.

January 31, 2004 Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice
Spirituality and Practice

An engrossing early effort from Michael Mann

April 18, 2003
Nitrate Online

It's a shame Thief isn't better remembered by people. If you really enjoy films about robberies, this one is right up your alley. Caan is terrific, and Mann's budding talent is evident.

August 8, 2002
Countingdown.com

Good guys and bad guys have never been harder to peg, which is why Thief is so much fun, filled with nuance and subtlety not often found among caper flicks.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com
Filmcritic.com

Audience Reviews for Thief

Gritty with good performances. Another example that Tuesday Weld really should have worked more than she did.
August 6, 2007
jjnxn
jay nixon

Super Reviewer

Frank: Look, you wanna pinch me then pinch me... I'll be out in ten minutes. If not, GET THE FUCK OFF MY CAR! 

"Tonight, his take home pay is $410,000... tax free."

Michael Mann's debut, Thief, is a stylish and intelligent heist thriller. There's a lot of cool stuff going on in Thief. It's one of those crime classics that have been forgotten because of movies like Heat. Thief is a great film in its own right. Mann showed the success he would be right from the get go. The film doesn't mess around, and has one of the single coolest end sequences I have ever seen. I'll admit, the film did take a little while to suck me in, but once it did I was enamored by it. 

Frank is a professional thief. He breaks into safes for diamonds and cash only. He's always wanted to retire to a normal life with a wife and kid. He thinks he has the chance when a crime boss asks him to join up for a big score. Frank thinks he can take the cash and settle down to a nice life. The boss has slightly different plans for Frank which may interfere with him getting exactly what he's always wanted. 

The heist scenes are really good, and Mann doesn't pump up the cliché of fighting against a clock and the police like the normal heist film will do. Thief isn't your standard heist film at all. Standard heist films go through a formula normally leading up to the final heist scene which will pretty much end the movie. Not this one. There's a lot of time after the final heist, and the after effects are the best part of the movie hands down. 

The acting is left in the capable hands of James Caan. He is at his best in Thief. He plays a stubborn criminal to perfection. His performance in this one may be my favorite single performance from him ever. He struts his criminal character around with a sense of anger and cool, that just makes you pay attention to every little detail of his performance. 

This is kind of a forgotten film in the grand scheme of cinema, but it is one you should really seek out. It is loads better than 98% of the crime thrillers out there. It has an accomplished director(now) at the helm and a terrific actor in the lead. There isn't much not to like about it. I wouldn't go as far as to say it's a masterpiece or anything, but it is one that will surely blow you away. Well, well worth a watch.
June 30, 2012
blkbomb
Melvin White

Super Reviewer

    1. Frank: If I wanna meet people, I'll go to a fuckin' country club.
    – Submitted by Saetre S (7 months ago)
    1. Frank: Your criteria are so far up your ass, they can't see daylight!
    – Submitted by Saetre S (21 months ago)
    1. Okla: Lie to no one. If there 's somebody close to you, you'll ruin it with a lie. If they're a stranger, who the fuck are they you gotta lie to them?
    – Submitted by Saetre S (21 months ago)
    1. Okla: Lie to no one. If there 's somebody close to you, you'll ruin it with a lie. If they're a stranger, who the fuck are they you gotta lie to them?
    – Submitted by Alex A (2 years ago)
    1. Frank: I am the last guy in the world that you wanna fuck with.
    – Submitted by Alex A (2 years ago)

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Foreign Titles

  • Der Einzelgänger (DE)
  • Le Solitaire (FR)
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