SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Crappy film

An unexpected masterpiece

Absolutely amazing

This is one of the best Korean movies I've ever seen. I wasn't surprised to find out it was one of the highest grossing films at the Korean box office - this Korean/Chinese production is an international blockbuster designed for mass, global appeal. The Thieves is a heist action comedy about two teams of professional thieves teaming up for a heist with a surefire success rate, but only if each team members could avoid their personal agendas getting in the way ... and that's all you need to know about the film.The movie's biggest success is that it proves that you can have an ensemble cast with no less than 10 principal characters and still make each one of them unique and memorable. By the end of the movie, I know each character's personality, motivation and quirks. To top it off, it has an intelligent script with lots of twists and turns, always keeping you guessing. Oh, and the set-pieces! The final action scene is one of the most entertaining set-pieces I've ever seen, involving complex choreography, wire-work and amazing stunts.So yeah, do whatever you can to see it, you owe that to yourself as this is the kind of movie that Hollywood should be making and isn't. Director Choi Dong-Hoon crafts this masterful heist action comedy with such an assured hand that keeps you entertained and engaged throughout. Also, actress Jun Ji-Hyun (My Sassy Girl, My Love From The Star), is drop-dead gorgeous and absolutely magnetic on screen. She steals almost every scene she's in, and is worth the price of admission alone.

The Asian cinema that has most impressed me is usually of the horror genre, but this one actually stood out as a regular action flick. You will see a distinct similarity to the Ocean's serial, but it competently makes its own mark with multiple subplots that work as well as an almost dizzying amount of twist and turns. The humor translates better than almost any other Asian film I've seen, which is probable because my copy was subtitles only, there was no English dubbing available. Even with the extended run-time, the pace is quick and crisp, with no plodding moments or stalls. It keeps moving all the way to the credits, a great popcorn movie.

The Thieves is a South Korean movie that will demand your full attention.The good. An ensnaring story line that will push you to see it to the end with a ever greater astonishments. The scenario is incredibly well built with plots within plots, revenge, love, distrust, and new twists at every turn. No character is safe from death. A Ton of action. Good editing and camera work. Nice sets.The bad. A few cliché. Shallow motivations.The ugly. The afro-hair Chinese thief who's not a very good actor.The result. Great entertainment, but don't expect any depth.

SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS.Here's your story: Gather a bunch of thieves & criminals together to hatch a plan to steal a diamond…That's it!...Well, Almost!The comparisons to this film being a Korean version of "Ocean's Eleven" simply can't be avoided. And, if you're asking "Why should I waste my time watching that?" …The answer is because IT IS a KOREAN VERSION!When you watch "Ocean's Eleven", you know the worst thing that will happen to Clooney & Pitt & the Gang is a couple of punches in the face and/or slaps on the wrist, or maybe some minimal jail time…there's nothing wrong with that; it can all be great fun when done well. But, this is a Korean production, so, Anything Goes Here!!! (and, it certainly does Go!).This movie has a quite a bit going for it. First & foremost, the acting is top notch throughout, and, each of actors and actresses they gathered together here get their chance to strut their stuff. The cast is packed full of talented stars (in Asia anyway), and it's really hard to take your eyes off of any one person when it's their time to step to the plate (regardless of age, sex, or role). Everyone really plays off each other quite well, so much so that it seems they've been working together as a cohesive unit for some time…this is even all the more impressive when you consider this is a Pan Asian ensemble cast that has to overcome language barriers while snappily working their way through some well scripted, and witty dialogue. The film eventually tightens its focus more on the Korean stars for the most part, but this is a Korean production, so that is to be expected.The story is pretty decent overall…nothing fancy or overly challenging (at least until your figure out who's doing what to whom and what everybody's motives are). The first half of the film primarily brings everybody together to work on the plan to steal the diamond, while revealing their past histories and present interpersonal relationships. The second half ultimately brings all their story lines and individual objectives to a head under a heavy dose of fairly impressive action scenes.Production values are quite high here, and, it might be the most slickly made and stylized film I've ever seen come out of Asia…I'm used to seeing increasingly high production values from Asian cinema over the last decade plus, but this film is really pushing the limits of what an Asian "Big Picture" can be. If this is what bodes for the future of this type of Asian action cinema, then I'm on board 100%! (PROVIDED, they don't lose their heart & soul along the way, which is what made films from this part of the world so enticing to begin with).Perhaps what I like best about this movie is that it is just flat out sexy, and, I don't mean that in a 'let's get naked & have sex kind of way'. It just oozes a certain kind of subtle sex appeal vibe and undercurrent throughout as a result of its stylized story arcs, character back stories, and star performances. It's also quite romantic at times, and, is not without its comedic moments. For what is essentially a 'popcorn action flick' with little room for excess, it does make a solid & effective effort to infuse a sexy/romantic/comedic aspect, which it pulls off quite well.This is by no means what I would consider a great film, but it is just a crap ton of fun, and I loved just about everything about it. It's solidly made and quickly paced (despite its 2.25 hour run time), and, it is often incredibly entertaining. There's really very little not to like here in all honesty…If you're looking for a high octane action caper with a decent enough amount of substance behind it, you might want to check this movie out pretty soon.So, from a reasonable and realistic prospective, this film should probably rate at about 7 out of 10 stars or so overall. But, I liked this flick way better than that, so I'm bumping it up to 8 out of 10 stars…Totally Recommended!