Thief1981 is similar in many ideas to the dustin hoffman film, straight time 1977. Thief is a 1981 american neonoir crime thriller film written, produced and directed by michael mann in his feature film debut. The good thief is a cheeky little film that uses the excuse of a complicated caper to do a character study. Either way its a stunning theatrical debut that gets my absolute recommendation. 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. It is filled elements and ideas that permeate much of manns work in both film and television. 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.
A complete guide to all the new original series and films. Thief1981 is similar in many ideas to the dustin hoffman film, straight time1977. This is the newer, us release of the soundtrack to the 1981 michael mann film. Thief is full of such erectorset moments, when characters attempt to juice up their. Some good acting from emir kusturica, gerard darmon, ralph fiennes cameo. 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. For the most part, they lived by the rules even while growing up poor and worked hard to better their lives. 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. Mann was meticulous during his research for the film and talked to actual. It is a remake of a classic 1956 french film noir, bob le flambeur by jeanpierre melville. This movie knows its characters, knows its story, and knows exactly how it wants to tell us about them.
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. Nick nolte stars as bob, an american living in monte carlo. This is evident from his dazzling film debut as a director with thief 1981. Which is where the pretend life, acting, comes in, nick nolte tells suzie mackenzie a way of dealing with the demons. 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.
Mann may well become a very good theatrical film maker but, among other things. Original theatrical trailer for the 1981 film thief. A welcome face wherever nices wellmannered lowlifes gather, nick noltes character in the good thief likes little and does even less. Thief is the first feature film from director michael mann and it seethes with his. 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. As the movie opens, hes been free four years, and lives in chicago. Full episodes of bad thief, good thief english sub viewasian. The film doesnt mess around, and has one of the single coolest end sequences i have ever seen. Nick nolte the good thief subtitled thesniper1961 subscribe unsubscribe 80. 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. Thief is written and directed by michael mann, who adapts the screenplay form the novel the home invaders written by frank hohimer. To accelerate the process, he signs on with a top gangster for a big score. The film signaled the arrival of a fully developed artist, who is in complete control of his medium.
But the cruel realities of society have pushed them to the edge. The good thief is a 2002 britishfrenchirish crime thriller film starring nick nolte, emir. The movie does a good job in showing the corruption that frank has to go against. Its these images that make thief a memorable cult classic. A movie that tried really hard for the cool factor, complete with a cool french soundtrack. Confessions of a cat burglar by frank hohimer the pen name of reallife jewel thief john seybold. Official video content provided by mgm home entertainment or one of its authorized agents. 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. 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. 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. It replaced father, ill take care for you and aired on mbc on saturdays and sundays at 22. 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. The score to the movie the good thief was produced and arranged by elliot goldenthal. The gospel of luke describes him asking jesus to remember him when jesus arrives at his kingdom.
Watch the good thief online stream full movie directv. The movie pulsates with a raw intensity and an air of menace hangs over it all like a pall. That is, the opposite of what goes down at the end. Jan 23, 2010 james caan in michael manns film thief. The thief and the cobbler is an animated fantasy film directed by canadianbritish animator richard williams. Joining the upcoming confidence is director neil jordans foray into the field, the good thief. Mann may well become a very good theatrical film maker but, among other. The lakefront has been reconstructed to include the lakefront bicycle and jogging path. 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. 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 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.
Licensed to youtube by umg on behalf of virgin records ltd. A compulsive gambler plans the heist of his life a priceless collection of art from the worldclass casino rivie. 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. When you spend most of your life on the edge, the trick is not to tip over. 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. Mann showed the success he would be right from the get go. As played by james caan, frank is the coolest guy in the world. 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. 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. Dodungnom, dodungnim is a 2017 south korean television series starring ji hyunwoo, seohyun, kim jihoon, lim jueun and others.
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. The film, shot in both monaco and nice, france, follows a heroin addicted retired thief through the setup and. Sep 07, 2011 30 things we learned from the thief commentary. Caans performance ranks among his very best, making thief a crime movie like few others. The best scene in the film is where he tells tuesday weld about his prison experiences and shows here the. Any free shipping free instore pickup free local pickup. Frank caan is a tough excon and expert jewel thief. The academy award winner of best picture of 1981 was chariots of fire. Thief, with caan and tuesday weld the new york times. In the end, thief is a phenomenal film from michael mann. The good thief is the best film neil jordan did since mona lisa almost two decades ago.
Nick nolte delivers a strong performance and jordans direction is spoton for. Thief michael mann, james caan, tuesday weld, willie. Mann builds the simple story of an independent who reluctantly signs up with a crime syndicate on. His thief is so good at what he does because hes so careful and focused and prepared. 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. Halfway through the film, i wondered how it fit, as the energy the film opens with is gone. Song diamond diary 1995 digital remaster artist tangerine dream.
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. Film 89 verdict 910 thief is available on bluray in the u. Watch the good thief starring nick nolte in this drama on directv. Movie was surprisingly good for an odd tale about fortune and misfortune. Find out where to watch, buy, and rent diva online on moviefone. James caan in thief 1981 thief 1981 james caan and tuesday weld in thief 1981 james caan in thief. 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. The good thief is a 2002 britishfrenchirish crime thriller film starring nick nolte, emir kusturica and nutsa kukhianidze, and directed by neil jordan.
Very good blu ray transfer and one of earlies and best manns films although not. Bob nolte is an aging but loveable rogue who lives. He is a highly skilled professional thief a trade he learned behind bars from okla willie nelson, a master thief. Thief is the first feature film from director michael mann and it seethes with his stylish, atmospheric direction. But what he does likeart, gambling, heroinhe likes passionately, and what he does or used to do, he does extraordinarily well. For 16 years, this was the only home video release of the film in the us until criterions 2014 edition. Starring james caan, tuesday weld, robert prosky, willie nelson, james belushi. With thief, mann leaves plain an american standardthe gangster movie. Thief was sadly overlooked upon its release in the spring of 1981. Thief by michael mann james caan, tuesday weld, willie. This was a highly unlikely but surprisingly effective and enjoyable venture for italian cinema to undertake at the start of the 1980s. The good thief really is a worthy tribute to the original, lovingly created and acted by all involved. 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. 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.
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. The good thief is an entertaining film that reminded me a lot of another one of neil jordans films, mona lisa. 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 stars james caan, tuesday weld, robert prosky, james belushi and willie nelson. 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. Poems national poetry series by marie howe nov 1, 1999. 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. 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. It is a remake of the french film bob le flambeur 1955 by jeanpierre melville. He plans to use his illgotten income to retire from crime and build a nice life for himself complete with a. 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 films opening sequence establishes caans expertise as he cracks a safe with a portable drill. Its one of those films where you feel the authority right away. Thief movie filming locations the 80s movies rewind. One of the best directorial debut as michael mann gives a realistic portrayal of the hardships in being a professional thief.
Apr 24, 2018 whether thief is as good a film as heat is a debate i wont go into here. I think its one of the greatest crime thrillers ever made. A semiretired thief, nolte seems more than willing to play the part of the contented burnout, gambling until his money runs. 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. Thief is the story of frank, the best safe cracker and jewel thief in chicago. The good thief is a film directed by pasquale festa campanile with enrico montesano, edwige fenech, bernadette lafont, sara franchetti, year. Michael manns thief is an outstanding directorial debut helped out by the skills of the talented cast and crew. He is a highly skilled professional thief a trade he learned behind bars from. The good thief is a caper film thats more interested in developing characters than in dealing with the actual heist. 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. Michael mann directs james caan as a professional safecracker named frank, who specializes in highprofile diamond heists. 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.
The film moves these awkwardly handled scenes without much flare. United artists, willie nelson 14 september 2009 14 september 2009. Meet the cast and learn more about the stars of the good thief with exclusive news, pictures, videos and more at. 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. Caan sees himself as a completely independent loner. He wants what money cant buy a compulsive gambler plans the heist of his life a priceless collection of. The good thief movie cast, trailer and film summary. Frank is an expert professional safecracker, specialized in highprofile diamond heists. 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. Full list episodes bad thief, good thief english sub viewasian, in this story, there are thieves who come from different backgrounds and situations. A remake of the 1955 french classic, bob le flambeur, the film comes off as something of a darker, grittier and not as fluffily enjoyable experience as steven soderberghs own retooling of oceans eleven. The blazing thermal lance melting into the vault is beautiful, sparks flying and metal glowing. 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.
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