The Thief (Vor) (Вор) Reviews
Top Critic
It's a superb film in the classic style of screen storytelling, at once intimate and epic, possessed of lyrical beauty and suffused with that mixture of warmth, suffering and rueful humor so characteristic of Russian films.
As dramatically compelling as it is heavily metaphorical...
There is more to this picture than just an affecting story; for those who care to look, there's plenty of symbolism.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
It is clear fairly early in The Thief that the title character represents Stalin, and it's one of the strengths of the film that the symbolism never gets in the way of a convincing, heartbreaking story.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
E! Online
Philipchuk is absolutely endearing as the young Sonya, and Mashkov is powerful as the duplicitous con.
Full Review
| Original Score: B
Jam! Movies
...every bit as brilliant as its reputation suggests and is the feel-bad movie of the month, to boot.
Apollo Guide
[A] clever allegory about the death of Stalinism in post-Second World War Soviet Union.
Full Review
| Original Score: 78/100
Empire Magazine
[Stealing] the show is the eight-year-old Philipchuk, whose wide eyes register awe, puzzlement and misery with a conviction not seen since Salvatore Cascio in Cinema Paradiso.
Full Review
| Original Score: 4/5
Compuserve
Beautifully photographed by Vladimir Klimov and utilizing Victor Petrov's strikingly authentic set to resemble a railway car of the 1950s, The Thief provides us with a broad sweep of Russian everymen as well as its principal performers.
...The Thief is also a reminder of just how exhilarating and satisfying a good tragedy can be...
Full Review
| Original Score: 3.5/4
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
As mentioned, the payoff to this isn't exactly surprising, but the scenes that precede it are very good, thanks to Chukhrai's suspenseful plotting and convincing dialogue, as well as the terrific cast.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
The Thief is a beautiful movie about terrible things that happen to a widow and her young son.
Full Review
| Original Score: 3/4
San Francisco Examiner
The Thief is one in a long line of competent Eastern European movies that evoke the hardships of the Second World War II effectively but not exactly inspiringly.
