Truly Dreadful Film

Sadly Over-hyped

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

... I have decided to write one myself (my first!) The first time I saw this movie was on RCA LaserDisk back in 1985. The experience was overwhelming as the screenplay hit home on so many intriguing ideas. What's more, true art is measured by the emotions it can create and this movie stirred my own far more than any other! As a youth Frank committed a petty crime and was as a result subjected to a penal system that attempted to 'turn him out' and forced him to commit homicide in self defense, which in turn brought on a much longer prison sentence. Upon release we see Frank as a middle-aged victim of society and a righteous thief who is attempting to catch up on his life with his 'magic act'. He doesn't particularly want to involve his efforts with the underworld yet time and risk factors pressure him to agree to one big final score working with "Uncle Leo" who readily agrees to go along with Frank's terms. As we watch this big score develop we come to understand how valuable Frank is to the success of this undertaking and when Leo goes back on their agreement by denying him the fruits of his labor and revealing his determination to work Frank until he's 'busted, burned out or dead' our hero realizes he is once again being 'turned out'. I was enamored by the fact this movie in no way condescends to the viewer. In fact we're regularly offered up deep metaphors and questions demanding answers (particularly in a society that considers prison rape an acceptable part of prison punishment). There's no warts on this gem and I consider it the greatest film of all time!

Tuesday Weld is very convincing in her role, I also liked her in "I Walk the Line" (1970). Best role for James Caan from all the movies I've seen him. Willie Nelson, a small but important role, well played, in his dramatic, well-known, effective way. Robert Prosky, in the role of the villain, better than in his other roles, also as a vicious guy, from other films. Jim Belushi is OK. Dennis Farina, and all the other actors, as well as associates of Prosky or bad cops, all very good. In short, Michael Mann's best movie of all I've seen. The music signed Tangerine Dream, one of my favorite bands, is cool too.

You liked the audio-visual-style of Escape from New York and Terminator? Then you gonna love this movie. Every night scene from start on looks marvellous, and there are shots in this film which are unbelievable for the time it was made.Also the score from famous electro-group Tangerine Dream fits the style very well, and helps to build some tension if needed.But this movies strongest point is the protagonist, which is needed, because this movie is a incredible character driven story, which has to stand on the performance of it's leading man James Caan. And he does a great job, most of the best scenes in this film have to do with his performance, but also everyone else does a great job, and never fails to deliver.It's a very human, non-Hollywood story, which could be alienating for people who expect something else, after reading what it's about. It sounds like a typical "protagonist wants to do one last job before he lives a normal life"-stories, but it's different in it's approach on how to tell this story.All in all a nearly underrated movie, with great style and character-focus, which should not be missed...

Thief (1981) is a gritty crime drama from writer-director Michael Mann. The film is gritty, violent, and credible. James Caan stars as "Frank," a tough professional safe-cracker who prefers to work alone, but finds himself trapped between an organized crime family and a squad of corrupt police. Mann goes for realism all the way, and styles it heavily with great camera work, a pulsing Tangerine Dream score, and great performances all around, especially Caan, and Robert Prosky as Leo, the big shot who handles the fence for half of Chicago. Leo comes across as a gentle bear early on, but he goes on to deliver some classic lines, making him a totally sinister and underrated bad guy. Caan and, especially, Ms. Weld, deliver what are (arguably) the finest performances of their careers in this powerful, violent drama, filmed primarily in Chicago. James Belushi and Willie Nelson co-star…and look for Dennis Farina in a small role. It's one of his first movies.This film is probably what acting is all about. A grim, beautiful film. It should be studied in acting classes because these are two of the true greats in cinema and you don't get to see films being made like this anymore. Michael Mann is a great director and his first theatrical film does not disappoint.If you loved his other pictures "Heat", "Collateral" and "Miami Vice" behold, this is the very film that started it all; Big Cities, Bright lights, crime and pretty women. My favorite two scenes in the film are the opening; when we see the neon lights, the fog and drizzling rain in one of the back alleys of a rough section of Chicago. The second of course would be the diner scene, between James Caan and Tuesday Weld. Real-life thief John Santucci is invaluable, first, for the technical advice on the "caper" aspects of the film (all quite fascinating and beautifully filmed) and as a quintessentially "bad cop." This one is to watch it again and again.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.