You don't hear "Thief" mentioned as often as Michael Mann's other signature movies, but I have a serious soft spot for this movie. For a debut, this has the man's unmistakable style all over it, and the character study at the heart of this thing keeps the burglar-pulling-one-last-job story fresh. There's a tremendous amount of research backing this, not only making the actual safe-cracking scenes riveting, but also James Caan's expounding on prison life. It's just a dialogue scene, two people in a coffee shop, but it's earnest. He's desperate to make a life happen before the clock runs out.

It's compelling cinema all the way, a neon-lit crime drama on the seedier streets of Chicago, pulsing with Tangerine Dream synth. For my money, this is James Caan's best performance; hard-boiled and profoundly sad.

8/10

I came across this movie because of my boyfriend, he swore that this ending was one of the best endings in a movie he had ever seen. But being the ultimate film buff and being a fan of James Caan, I wanted to see the whole movie, so we watched it together. This is a tight and suspenseful thriller that is like a little gem of 1981. James Caan is such a terrific actor, so I was interested in seeing him in a lead role to see if he could carry a movie by himself and he did do an excellent job. Michael Mann, this is one of his first movies, so it's really cool to see where he has come from and even back in 1981, he had this definite talent that has taken him so far. The story may be a bit basic, the rise and fall of someone who has hit the top, but once they want to pull away, it starts to crumble. But if told in the right way, we can get a terrific film and Thief proves itself to be a good thriller.

Frank is an expert jewel thief and hard-boiled ex-convict with a set structure to his life. With a pair of successful Chicago businesses as fronts for his very lucrative criminal enterprise, Frank sets out to fulfill the missing part of his dream: a family beginning with Jessie. After taking down a major score, Frank's fence is murdered. He finds out that the man responsible is a Mr. Attaglia, a shady plating company executive for whom the fence was working. Attaglia is in possession of money that belongs to Frank, who demands it back. This leads to a face-to-face meeting with Attaglia's employer, Leo, a high-level fence and crime boss, who wants Frank to work for him, offering him "boxcar" profits. Frank is reluctant at first, but wanting to make his dream come to fruition faster, he agrees to do just one job. But after the job is done, Frank soon realizes that Leo is not so easy to let him go.

The only complaint is pretty minor, I was a little stumped by the movie's soundtrack, it did throw me off a bit. But I think that's all part of the 80's films genre, very odd music in the background. It's all good, we have a terrific supporting cast with Robert Prosky, James Belushi and Tuesday Weld, even Willie Nelson pulls in a good strong supporting role. The whole atmosphere and the strong direction by Mann pulls this movie together very well. I'd say one of the strongest scenes is the face off between Frank and Leo, when Frank is excited that he's completed his last assignment and Frank wants to just mainstream into a normal life but Leo is not going to let him go, the tension was so high and created so well by the actors. It's a very dark and suspenseful film that I have to admit that I enjoyed over all, I would recommend it.

9/10

"Thief" is an unusual film in that there are no heroes....only thugs. The lead is the anti-hero, Frank (James Caan),a career thief who is great at his job...but who also is a loner. The rest of the folks in the film, including the cops and a judge, are crooks and cannot be trusted. But at least with Frank, what he says he will do, he will do...and so he's honest...in his own way.

While Frank is doing great on his own committing various high value robberies, he is approached by a mobster who seems to have everyone in his pockets. Leo (Robert Prosky) has a proposition...to rob a seemingly impenetrable safe. Frank agrees...but insists it's his last job, as he's retiring to a life as a husband and family man.

Amazingly, the actual robbery goes off very quickly and well...and the film actually spends very little time on what you assume will be the big finale. But instead, there is some misdirection...and 30 more minutes to the story after this deal is complete. Why? What is next? See the film.

Normally, stories with no heroes are very hard to watch and enjoy...but the story works so well with so many fine performances, direction and a great script that it manages to overcome the lack of likable people in the film. It's taut and exciting....and well worth seeing even if nearly everyone in the story is scum.

By the way, for 1981 the story is pretty rough and is NOT a film I'd recommend you see with kids or your mother. The language is very tough and the story is at times quite violent.