Thank you. I completely agree: I thought this movie was crap. There are soooo many better heist flicks out there (incl
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marsellus7 — 19 years ago(March 06, 2007 05:00 PM)
I loved this movie. And I loved its soundtrack too. Although I think it sounds dated, that's what I like about it. You can't criticise something made over 25 years ago for being dated. If you're going to criticise the music, you may as well criticise the hairdos, the costumes, the old look of the film stock. Next you'll be criticising a James Bond movie for the lack of realism or Casablanca for being black and white!
I thought Caan's performance in this movie was brilliant and right on point. He was just as De Niro was in Heat. Totally withdrawn and totally focussed on the job in hand. Only with a more psychotic overtone, like when he torches his own house and car lot. He becomes totally focussed on taking out the bad guys! Although it was a bit rough round the edges, I think Mann made a great first outing with Thief and then perfected his crime story with Heat. Its just a shame he's gone a bit down hill with Miami Vice. -
fiddlejock — 19 years ago(March 06, 2007 07:44 PM)
Are you serious?! Did you just compare this movie to Casablanca?! Talk about lack of realism!!!
I'm not criticizing the soundtrack because it's dated, I'm criticizing because it's BAD! I'm a composer, violinist, and orchestra conductor, and I pay a lot of attention to soundtracks. This is honestly one of the worst I've ever heard. Not just because of the terrible synth sound, but because it was poorly written, it didn't fit the scenes it accompanied, and it was distracting. A good film score should enhance the scenes it accompanies and add a different dimension to the film as a whole, not make you want to track down the composer and force him to listen to it until he shoves Q-tips into his ear canals.
"We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams."-Willy Wonka -
marsellus7 — 19 years ago(March 07, 2007 01:46 AM)
I never compared it to Casablanca. I said criticising the score in Theif for being dated would be like criticising Casablanca for being black and white. I thought everyone was complaining about the score being dated because usually everyone does. I quite like it though. Although if I was to make a film nowadays, I wouldn't use it. I think its just very 80s.
If you want to hear a bad score you should check out The Jewel of The Nile with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. Although an okay adventure film, the orchestration in that sounds awful and gets worse towards the end. T'was a shame because the prequel, Romancing The Stone, had a great composer (Alan Silvestri) and the score was pretty well done. Well that is my opinion, maybe you'd disagree. -
bo_nidle — 19 years ago(March 13, 2007 09:06 AM)
"Thief" was Manns first feature film. It was a critical but not financial success on its release. To disregard it in such a casual manner as some have done is a little silly. It features great performances from Caan (Cann himself considers it his best performance ) and Robert Prosky.
The cinematography is outstanding with its use of lighting and reflections.The music by Tangerine dream is, like most music, a matter of taste but for me it suited the film perfectly (and I became a fan as a result of hearing them for the first time in this film).However the music at the climactic shootout is not TD, this was by Craig Safan.
Its attention to detail showed something that Mann has subsequently become famous for: Caan is really cracking the safe at the start and the thermal lance is the real deal.It benefited from technical advice from both Police officers (who played the criminals) and Criminals (who played the cops) these being Dennis Farina who was a former Chicago PD detective and John Santucci a former jewel thief.
It shares a theme with "HEAT" in its protaganists code of: do not get attached or involved with anything or anyone that you are not prepared to walk away from in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner. And as in Heat it is when he breaks this rule that he finds himself in real trouble.The sniper cover for Caans character as he meets Leo is another scene revisited in "Heat"
Its dialogue for me had some great moments such as Leo's menacing speech as already related or Franks telling Leo that the deal is off to which Leo says "Why don't you join a labor union?!" Frank: "I'm wearing it!" or sticking the .45 Jim Hoag Longslide in Attaglias face and snarling "I am the last guy in the world that you want to beep with!". Caan deliberatly avoids contractions in his speeches as he wanted to emphasise the fact that his character was a person that made sure you got his point the first time! This method of dialogue has become something of a Mann trademark.
Its depiction of the criminal underworld in my opinion is very convincing with its concentration on the smaller segment of professional criminals.
The final scenes with Caans character "dissembling" his life are some of the most dramatic of any film.
"Thief" is not "Heat" and although it shares similar themes, its not trying to be. "Thief" is a low-key crime drama that is as much about surrendering personal freedoms as it is about crime.
It is an underated classic. -
marsellus7 — 19 years ago(March 15, 2007 07:50 AM)
Here here! Glad some Thief lovers have got my back! I bought this movie on for about 5 a few years ago solely because of James Caan and Michael Mann. I had never seen it before. I loved it instantly. This film wipes the floor with Mann's recent crap (a.k.a. Miami Vice).
Excellent comments bo_nidle. -
jjcoachjmr2 — 19 years ago(March 17, 2007 08:58 PM)
My college library happened to have the book "The Home Invaders" by Frank Hohimer, upon which "Thief" is based. Being a big fan of Thief, I borrowed The Home Invaders and finished it in two days. Many basic principals about stealing laid out in the book by Hohimer were shown in Thief, as well as Mann's tv show "Miami Vice."
Like others, I clearly see the connection between Heat and Thief. For me, Heat is Thief with a large budget. Cann's character of Frank had similarities with DeNiro's character. Frank is a little more hard-edged and cynical, particularly in his explanation of his ability to get his thinking to where "nothin' means nothin'" to Tuesday Weld's character in the coffee shop. He clearly has this mindset after his partner is killed by Leo and he throws her out of the house, then preceeding to blow it up, along with The Green Mill bar, and his auto dealership.
Criticism of the film's score by Tangerine Dream is subjective. One poster said it sounded like a kid playing a Casio keyboard. Not so. Most of the score is electronic, but is layered with electric guitars, not unlike some of Heat's score, particularly when Hannah is in the LA police helicopter tracking Neil on the freeway. The music does tend to date the movie, but so do the cars and the hairstyles. Anyone here think that "Hustle and Flow" won't look or sound dated five, ten or twenty-five years from now? It will look as timeless as the roller disco episode in "CHiPs."
The laserdisc issue of Thief includes an audio Q and A session with Mann during the film's release with members of the media and provides additional insight about the structure of the movie, along with the commentary found on the DVD, which is the same as on the LD.
Mann's pattern of movies has tended to be hit or miss, this one's a hit. -
nickt030 — 18 years ago(May 19, 2007 05:59 AM)
"How come this movie have 7.2/10? Duh! Because a lot of viewers rated it that way! You numbnut!
Get your grammar correct before you bash a movie! This is what you should have written!
Why does this movie have a rating of 7.2/10? It's because a lot of viewers liked this movie! If you don't like this movie, then deal with the fact that you are in the minority!!
My vote: 10/10!!
Now quit being a troll!! -
bandini21 — 18 years ago(May 26, 2007 02:08 AM)
parkermj, there is nothing to discuss when one have such an awful, intellectually impotent opinion it's obviously been a long time since you posted this. Let's hope you're capable of sticking head out of your as* once in awhile to watch things closely these days, (in this case you couldn't for sure) not bothering fans of cinema with bullsh*t lines such as "disjointed disaster of a movie with terrible, inane dialogue and laughable direction".
And this underrated, forgotten gem should have higher rating than it has now. At least 8.0/10. But what can you expect when people put movies like beep "Departed" on 33th place on IMDB 250 Top Movies of All Time?! -
cdellier — 18 years ago(October 30, 2007 12:32 AM)
no kidding! anyone who would make a statement like that knows very little about film. I'm sorry but Heat doesn't touch this movie,especially in authenticity.(there's a reason it's James Caan's favorite role)if you watch recent shows like Las Vegas,Caan is still incorporating elements of that character (Frank) in his new roles. Last of the Mohicans is better? "ka-thunk" (the sound of me falling off my chair laughing!)and no ..Collateral is not that great either.
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Mr Blue-4 — 18 years ago(May 27, 2007 04:38 PM)
You're flat out wrong. This was "cool" when I saw it in high school in the '80s, and now I see it for the deeper work it is (back then it was easy to be distracted by the score and the look: we didn't know that "Miami Vice" would be a weekly version of this in a few years).
The directing and acting in this hold up. It's an urban crime film: whadya expect, Noel Coward? They talk the way these guys really talk, not the least of which is because a bunch of guys in the movie are the real deal. If you like Last of the Mohicans over this, I don't know -
robhumanick — 18 years ago(March 29, 2008 11:35 AM)
Heck, if it's in good shape I'll take it for that price.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/author-12145/ -
m-slovak79 — 16 years ago(April 19, 2009 03:57 PM)
well i also think it's (Thief (1981)) a little overrated to. i just got done seeing it for the first time a few moments ago and
it's definitely not bad but it's nothing special unlike Mann's other films like 'Heat' (1995) (10/10) and 'Collateral' (2004) (9/10, my 2nd favorite 'Hitman Themed' film ever behind 'Leon' (1994) 133min version) which are his masterpieces.
James Caan was solid in his role but the film as a whole just aint nothing special unlike the two Mann films i mentioned above.
all in all i give it a 6/10 (if i had to choose a 5 or 7 i would say 7 it's probably more like a 6.5/10)
My Vote History
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