Clevercell Very disappointing...

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

slightlymad22 Plot In A Paragraph: Becoming closer to his dream of leading a normal life, a professional safecracker (James Caan) agrees to do a job for the mafia, who have other plans for him.How on earth has this movie managed to evade me. I'd never even heard of it, till somebody suggested looking at the filmography of Mann. It's amazing. I'd call it near perfect. For me, thrillers of late, tend to be less thrilling, due to the combination of the same chases, sex scenes, fights and twists. Thief is a breath of fresh air. Even though it was made in 1981, it has the feel of a 70's movie.I'd go so far as to say this is James Caan's best movie. I think the monologue in the diner is the high point of his career. He was never been better. He just oozes charisma and you can't take your eyes off him. Robert Prosky is an actor I have always liked seeing on screen, here also gives the performance of his career, he is absolutely brilliant. James Belushi is also good in one of his first roles. William Petersen and Dennis Farina pop up too.I need to take time to mention Willie Nelson, his character is important early on, things happen and then he is gone, and I think it's one of the movies very few weak points. And believe me that is nitpicking. The fantastic score by Tangerine Dream needs mentioning too!!

SerDelon Visually and soundtrack wise, the movie almost epitomizes that style that we tend to associate with the 80s crime films nowadays; the neon lights, synth-heavy music, the uneasy, dark atmosphere. Clearly a big inspiration and influence on movies such as Drive. It's beautifully shot and the musical accompaniment is amazing. From a stylistic standpoint, this movie will not disappoint.The film's story is rather simple and easy to follow as is usually the case with these kind of movies, don't expect a complex story-line with great turns or plot twists but I did not feel that was an issue in this particular film.As for the characters, the movie heavily focuses on the main protagonist so the side characters are perhaps not as deep, but that is not really an issue either, the side characters "do their job" for what they were written for and it allows the main character to flourish much more. Rarely have I seen a more "easy to like" protagonist such as this one, Cann did a great job with his acting as did the writers. His lines are cool, he's professional and cold but can also be a bit hotheaded at tunes, the whole essence of the character oozes "badass" in my opinion.Also, the heists themselves had a feeling of authenticity to them, I'm not sure if it was the most accurate portrayal of how it happens in the real world but they certainly felt more believable than they do in most movies.Honestly, I personally felt that the movie was almost perfect but that'd be heavily biased of me so to be more objective I'll say it's about 7 to 8 out of 10 for an average viewer.

tomgillespie2002 The 1980's seemed to define what is to be expected of a crime movie. It was an era of machine guns, tooth-picks and body oil, with little attention paid to the all-important details. Michael Mann's Thief was an ultra-slick, ice cool and, most astonishingly, highly realistic alternative, which is very impressive given that this was Mann's feature debut. The film revolves around James Caan's safe- cracker Frank, a career criminal looking for one big score before retiring. We meet him mid-job, using a specially-designed drill to steal the diamonds locked within. We are given little background to his character, but, like the rest of the film, the history is embedded within every frame.Mann, wanting the film to be as close to real-life as possible, employs real cops and criminals as actors, reversing their roles to further blur the line between the 'good' and 'bad' guys. John Santucci, a recently paroled jewel thief, plays a corrupt cop, and Dennis Farina, in his first movie role, was a real-life ex-cop and here plays a criminal henchman. The idea that the cops and robbers are merely two sides of the same coin was explored further in Mann's 1995 masterpiece Heat. With Thief, it feels like we are thrust into this very real but secret world of crime, where Frank, who works alone when possible or employs his entrusted friend Barry (James Belushi) when necessary, agrees to work for shady crime boss Leo (Robert Prosky, who, along with Belushi and Farina, makes his film debut).With so much time spent with Frank (he appears in every scene), a lot rests upon Caan's shoulders, and he thankfully delivers what is undoubtedly his greatest performance. He's the typical tough-guy loner, but he brings so much to his character that we see much more in him than a mere brute. In the diner scene, where he seduces cashier Jessie (Tuesday Weld) and lays out his plans to start a family, Caan's marvellous monologue further layers his character. But Thief is also an exciting thriller. Thanks to the plausibility of it's characters, it's easy to become concerned when a spanner is inevitably thrown into Frank's plans. If there's a criticism to be had, then it's in the formulaic plot. But when a film seems to know it's characters so well and is filmed so stylishly by cinematographer Donald E. Thorin, it's hard to avoid becoming completely immersed.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

witster18 I didn't see this film until 2013. It blew me away. Literally glued to the screen. Purchased immediately. It's a film that I'll always treasure.Today, films like "Drive" use the same template, and even though some of those films are really good, they're no "Thief". Michael Mann was just starting to develop his style, and it's evident in every frame, every scene.The acting is top-notch. Caan is fantastic. The action sequences a balance of realism and style.Mann's use of darkness and blue and red color is awesome. He'd later overdo-it for the nearly as good "Manhunter", but here it's a subtle touch that really adds so much to the film. There's other subtle touches as well, with the editing and sound. Everything here seems so properly calculated. The style doesn't interrupt the film, it adds standing hairs on your arms with little nuances. The music is great too.Just see it! Please. They TRULY don't make them like this anymore. You'd be hard pressed to find a film with such a beautifully restrained use of style and realism, bolstered by such powerful human emotions, without seeming pretentious in any way. This is raw grit on film stock.Somebody cared about this one!95/100I don't hand out 10's for just anything either. This is the last film I rated a 10, and only the 42nd out of 3,400 I've rated on IMDb.(late edit: since viewing "whiplash" has been viewed and rated 10)