Writerdirector neil jordan, who adapted this from the 1955 french classic, bob le flaneur, uses smoke, mirrors, and a sleight of hand to keep things interesting, a magic that is certainly more adept than that demonstrated by the. The film moves these awkwardly handled scenes without much flare. The movie pulsates with a raw intensity and an air of menace hangs over it all like a pall. Apr 24, 2018 whether thief is as good a film as heat is a debate i wont go into here. Halfway through the film, i wondered how it fit, as the energy the film opens with is gone. Dodungnom, dodungnim is a 2017 south korean television series starring ji hyunwoo, seohyun, kim jihoon, lim jueun and others. This movie knows its characters, knows its story, and knows exactly how it wants to tell us about them. Criterion delivers a very pleasing highdef presentation. Very good blu ray transfer and one of earlies and best manns films although not. It is a remake of a classic 1956 french film noir, bob le flambeur by jeanpierre melville. A welcome face wherever nices wellmannered lowlifes gather, nick noltes character in the good thief likes little and does even less. Thief is the story of frank, the best safe cracker and jewel thief in chicago. Though it obviously owes a lot of its aesthetic to thief, this is not as shallow a stylistic exercise as 2011s drive, where we simply had to take the skills of ryan goslings driver at the film s word since no true insight was given into the mans skill set. It is filled elements and ideas that permeate much of manns work in both film and television.
That is, the opposite of what goes down at the end. A faithful remake, a spirited updating, and a deft, colorful, thoroughly entertaining heist film swimming in character and atmosphere, neil jordans the good thief 2002, his reworking of jeanpierre melvilles bob le flambeur, may not be his best film, but it is one of his most purely enjoyable. The score to the movie the good thief was produced and arranged by elliot goldenthal. Frank is an expert professional safecracker, specialized in highprofile diamond heists. Any free shipping free instore pickup free local pickup.
The penitent thief, also known as the good thief, grateful thief or the thief on the cross, is one of two unnamed thieves in lukes account of the crucifixion of jesus in the new testament. The films opening sequence establishes caans expertise as he cracks a safe with a portable drill. The film signaled the arrival of a fully developed artist, who is in complete control of his medium. Jul 16, 2018 the film is definitely an early major achievement from mann that would showcase his approach to crime and man dealing with his situations as it is also this engrossing character study that isnt afraid to show flaws in the decisions that a man makes. But the cruel realities of society have pushed them to the edge. Though his cool approach may put off some viewers, its a distinctive and effective storytelling approach, and caans performance ranks among his very best, making thief a. It replaced father, ill take care for you and aired on mbc on saturdays and sundays at 22. Tangerine dreams music is perfect, just a great movie that needs more love, watch it immediately. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this wikipedia article constitutes fair use. Watch the good thief starring nick nolte in this drama on directv. This is the newer, us release of the soundtrack to the 1981 michael mann film. The film doesnt mess around, and has one of the single coolest end sequences i have ever seen. Thief is a 1981 american neonoir crime thriller film written, produced and directed by michael mann in his feature film debut. Michael manns thief is an outstanding directorial debut helped out by the skills of the talented cast and crew.
The origins of this obsession with flawed masculinity can be traced back to his feature directorial debut, thief 1981, a film that many still consider his best work. The good thief is a film directed by pasquale festa campanile with enrico montesano, edwige fenech, bernadette lafont, sara franchetti, year. Lets go back to 1981 where mann offered up his second feature film, thief, a film about a career criminal trying for his one last score. He plans to use his illgotten income to retire from crime and build a nice life for himself complete with a home, wife and kids. The movie was ultimately released in the uk in august of 1981 as violent streets, though on the uk quad poster the phrase hes a thief was added to the original tagline perhaps to avoid confusion and you can see the original poster design on the inset tangerine dream soundtrack album cover. In the end, thief is a phenomenal film from michael mann. Thief is written and directed by michael mann, who adapts the screenplay form the novel the home invaders written by frank hohimer.
The movie does a good job in showing the corruption that frank has to go against. Poems national poetry series by marie howe nov 1, 1999. Thief1981 is similar in many ideas to the dustin hoffman film, straight time1977. Nick nolte delivers a strong performance and jordans direction is spoton for. A complete guide to all the new original series and films. Thief by michael mann james caan, tuesday weld, willie. Movie was surprisingly good for an odd tale about fortune and misfortune. Originally conceived in the 1960s, the film was in and out of production for nearly three decades due to independent funding and ambitiously complex animation. Watch the good thief online stream full movie directv. In 1995, thief was released in a new laserdisc set billed as the special directors edition, which was carried over to the film s 1998 dvd release. But, im sure somebody out there thinks mann is a brilliant filmmaker, and today were going to take a look at his first film and his first title released to dvd. It is a classical and well written robbery story, complex enough to catch the interest, simple enough for the spectator to follow and enjoy, and with the special twist at the end that makes a good script. Indeed, the highlight of the film is a weird marriage proposal in which the thief shows his new girlfriend a battered fetish object, a collage hes assembled in prison that represents his idealized normal life complete with photos of a house, children, and a wife.
Thief, with caan and tuesday weld the new york times. United artists, willie nelson 14 september 2009 14 september 2009. Frank plans to use his illgotten income to retire from crime and build a nice life for himself complete with a home, wife and kids. James caan in thief 1981 thief 1981 james caan and tuesday weld in thief 1981 james caan in thief. Confessions of a cat burglar by frank hohimer the pen name of reallife jewel thief john seybold. A semiretired thief, nolte seems more than willing to play the part of the contented burnout, gambling until his money runs. The good thief christianity, saint dismas, one of two thieves crucified alongside jesus the good thief, an album by john brannen the good thief film, a 2002 film directed by neil jordan the good thief soundtrack, the soundtrack album from the film the good thief novel, a 2008 novel by hannah tinti. He wants what money cant buy a compulsive gambler plans the heist of his life a priceless collection of. I think its one of the greatest crime thrillers ever made. Michael manns thief is a film of style, substance, and violently felt emotion, all wrapped up in one of the most intelligent thrillers ive seen. Mann was meticulous during his research for the film and talked to actual.
Sep 07, 2011 30 things we learned from the thief commentary. Licensed to youtube by umg on behalf of virgin records ltd. As played by james caan, frank is the coolest guy in the world. Caan sees himself as a completely independent loner. With thief, mann leaves plain an american standardthe gangster movie. The good thief is a caper film thats more interested in developing characters than in dealing with the actual heist. Thief is the first feature film from director michael mann and it seethes with his. Music is by tangerine dream and cinematography by donald thorin. If anyone ever tells you that remakes will never be as good as their source material, tell them about this film and show them that not all of them are made equal. A faithful remake, a spirited updating, and a deft, colorful, thoroughly entertaining heist film swimming in character and atmosphere, neil jordans the good thief 2002. Nick nolte the good thief subtitled thesniper1961 subscribe unsubscribe 80. Nick nolte stars as bob, an american living in monte carlo. The best scene in the film is where he tells tuesday weld about his prison experiences and shows here the. The film, shot in both monaco and nice, france, follows a heroin addicted retired thief through the setup and.
This is evident from his dazzling film debut as a director with thief 1981. He is a highly skilled professional thief a trade he learned behind bars from. Official video content provided by mgm home entertainment or one of its authorized agents. Mann may well become a very good theatrical film maker but, among other things. The good thief is an entertaining film that reminded me a lot of another one of neil jordans films, mona lisa. This time, we actually do get the craig safancomposed confrontation, the long, floydesque track that played over the end sequence of the film, you know, where michael mann uses excessive slow motion, blood splattering, and bodies flying to bring the story home. The good thief is the best film neil jordan did since mona lisa almost two decades ago. For 16 years, this was the only home video release of the film in the us until criterions 2014 edition. As the movie opens, hes been free four years, and lives in chicago. It is a remake of the french film bob le flambeur 1955 by jeanpierre melville. He is a highly skilled professional thief a trade he learned behind bars from okla willie nelson, a master thief. Mann may well become a very good theatrical film maker but, among other. He wants what money cant buy a compulsive gambler plans the heist of his life a priceless collection of art from the worldclass casino riviera in monte carlo.
Mann builds the simple story of an independent who reluctantly signs up with a crime syndicate on. Joining the upcoming confidence is director neil jordans foray into the field, the good thief. A movie that tried really hard for the cool factor, complete with a cool french soundtrack. Its one of those films where you feel the authority right away. Bob nolte is an aging but loveable rogue who lives. It tells the story of frank james caan, a professional thief who is trying to achieve a version of the american dream in a way that only a career criminal can do. Thief is full of such erectorset moments, when characters attempt to juice up their. Mann showed the success he would be right from the get go. Very similar to drive for all the right reasons, made in 1981 and i wouldnt bat an eye if this beautiful 35mm masterpiece was released yesterday it looks so good. To start with, the first thing that attracted me to this film was the music, although my rating of it has both good and bad sides to it.
The good thief is a cheeky little film that uses the excuse of a complicated caper to do a character study. The good thief movie cast, trailer and film summary. The film is definitely an early major achievement from mann that would showcase his approach to crime and man dealing with his situations as it is also this engrossing character study that isnt afraid to show flaws in the decisions that a man makes. Mann may well become a very good theatrical film maker but, among other things, hes going to have to learn how to edit himself, to resist the temptation to allow dialogue that is colorful to. Thief michael mann, james caan, tuesday weld, willie. Meet the cast and learn more about the stars of the good thief with exclusive news, pictures, videos and more at. Which is where the pretend life, acting, comes in, nick nolte tells suzie mackenzie a way of dealing with the demons. Thief1981 is similar in many ideas to the dustin hoffman film, straight time 1977. Film 89 verdict 910 thief is available on bluray in the u. Movie posters 1981 t thief thief 1981 a highly skilled jewel thief operates a resturaunt and a car dealership as covers for his illicitlygained income. The gospel of luke describes him asking jesus to remember him when jesus arrives at his kingdom. In 1995, thief was released in a new laserdisc set billed as the special directors edition, which was carried over to the films 1998 dvd release.
Thief movie filming locations the 80s movies rewind. The academy award winner of best picture of 1981 was chariots of fire. Some good acting from emir kusturica, gerard darmon, ralph fiennes cameo. Indeed, the good thief is a fairy tale, not just in the plotted fun of the heist and counterheist, or in the clever twist thrown in at the end, but in the grandiloquent myth, so passionately espoused by melville, of the crook as a man of honor and elegance. Bob nick nolte is an aging thief who has seen better days and is battling both an addiction to heroin and a growing gambling problem. Full list episodes bad thief, good thief english sub viewasian, in this story, there are thieves who come from different backgrounds and situations. Michael mann directs james caan as a professional safecracker named frank, who specializes in highprofile diamond heists. The good thief is a 2002 britishfrenchirish crime thriller film starring nick nolte, emir kusturica and nutsa kukhianidze, and directed by neil jordan. A compulsive gambler plans the heist of his life a priceless collection of art from the worldclass casino rivie. He plans to use his illgotten income to retire from crime and build a nice life for himself complete with a. Thanks to chris h the scene with the fisherman the morning after the first heist is filmed on the northeast side of the shedd aquarium. Thief 1981 after years of writing for television and cutting his directorial teeth on the 1979 tv movie the jericho mile, michael mann made his feature film debut with thief 1981, a cool, gritty crime movie starring james caan as the head of a highend crew of professional safecrackers. But what he does likeart, gambling, heroinhe likes passionately, and what he does or used to do, he does extraordinarily well.
When you spend most of your life on the edge, the trick is not to tip over. For the most part, they lived by the rules even while growing up poor and worked hard to better their lives. Song diamond diary 1995 digital remaster artist tangerine dream. Either way its a stunning theatrical debut that gets my absolute recommendation.
Jan 23, 2010 james caan in michael manns film thief. Find out where to watch, buy, and rent diva online on moviefone. Original theatrical trailer for the 1981 film thief. Thief is the first feature film from director michael mann and it seethes with his stylish, atmospheric direction. To accelerate the process, he signs on with a top gangster for a big score.
Caans performance ranks among his very best, making thief a crime movie like few others. Full episodes of bad thief, good thief english sub viewasian. The good thief is a 2002 britishfrenchirish crime thriller film starring nick nolte, emir. The good thief is a 2002 crime thriller film directed by creatorneil jordan and starring nick nolte. The house exploding scene was filmed on the 2900 block of west catalpa ave. The blazing thermal lance melting into the vault is beautiful, sparks flying and metal glowing. One of the best directorial debut as michael mann gives a realistic portrayal of the hardships in being a professional thief. The good thief really is a worthy tribute to the original, lovingly created and acted by all involved. G wells the invisible man is an exciting and thrilling remake that modernizes its classic story for a new generation very few horror films receive the kind of prestige and legendary stature that the classic set of universal horror films have endured. Thief was sadly overlooked upon its release in the spring of 1981. Caan, weld, nelson and especially belushi all have solid roles and michael manns stylish direction was a sign of things to come and has made him a gifted filmmaker ever since.
It stars james caan, tuesday weld, robert prosky, james belushi and willie nelson. Starring james caan, tuesday weld, robert prosky, willie nelson, james belushi. Frank caan is a tough excon and expert jewel thief. His thief is so good at what he does because hes so careful and focused and prepared. Differences between this version and the theatrical version are as follows. This was a highly unlikely but surprisingly effective and enjoyable venture for italian cinema to undertake at the start of the 1980s. Having made their hollywood debut with the soundtrack for william friedkins criminallyignored 1977 suspense thriller sorcerera remake of the classic 1953 french film the wages of fear tangerine dream were chosen by director michael mannmanhunter, heat, public enemies to write, record and produce the music for his 1981 debut thief.
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