In Michael Mann’s stylish & hypnotic feature film debut, James Caan is a Chicago ex-con and professional jewel thief with plans to leave the lawless life behind after one last heist. But that may not be as easy as he hoped. Using real-life thieves as technical advisers, as well as the experience of having filmed his television movie The Jericho Mile in Folsom Prison amongst actual criminals, allowed Mann to inject a somber verisimilitude alongside the slick neon noir thrills. Featuring a strong supporting cast that includes Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson, Jim Belushi, and Robert Prosky, plus a moody score by Tangerine Dream.
“Thief is a film of style, substance, and violently felt emotion, all wrapped up in one of the most intelligent thrillers I’ve seen. It’s one of those films where you feel the authority right away: This movie knows its characters, knows its story, and knows exactly how it wants to tell us about them. At a time when thrillers have been devalued by the routine repetition of the same dumb chases, sex scenes, and gunfights, Thief is completely out of the ordinary.” – Roger Ebert
