Thief (1981)

Becoming closer to his dream of leading a normal life, a professional safecracker agrees to do a job for the mafia, who have other plans for him.

Director:

Michael Mann

Writers:

Frank Hohimer (novel), Michael Mann (screen story),

Stars:

James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Caan	...	Frank
Tuesday Weld	...	Jessie
Willie Nelson	...	Okla
James Belushi	...	Barry
Robert Prosky	...	Leo
Tom Signorelli	...	Attaglia
Dennis Farina	...	Carl
Nick Nickeas	...	Nick
W.R. Brown	...	Mitch (as W.R. [Bill] Brown)
Norm Tobin	...	Guido
John Santucci	...	Urizzi
Gavin MacFadyen	...	Boreksco
Chuck Adamson	...	Ancell
Sam Cirone	...	Martello
Spero Anast	...	Bukowski

Storyline

Frank is an expert professional safecracker, specializing in high-profile diamond jobs. After having spent many years in prison, he has a very concrete picture of what he wants out of life--including a nice home, a wife, and kids. As soon as he is able to assemble the pieces of this collage, by means of his chosen profession, he intends to retire and become a model citizen. In an effort to accelerate this process, he signs on to take down a huge score for a big-time gangster. Unfortunately, Frank's obsession for his version of the American Dream allows him to overlook his natural wariness and mistrust, when making the deal for his final job. He is thus ensnared and robbed of his freedom, his independence, and, ultimately, his dream.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | heist | safecracker | criminal | fence | 

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Taglines:

Tonight, his take home pay is $410,000...tax free.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 March 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Einzelgänger

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$4,300,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mann/Caan Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The burglary tools used throughout the film (such as the hydraulic drill used in the opening sequence) were not props, but actual tools which the actors were trained to use. The tools were supplied by actual thieves who served as technical consultants on the film, principally John Santucci, who also portrays Sgt. Urizzi on screen.

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Goofs

When Frank and Jessie arrive at the restaurant over the freeway, Frank orders two cups of coffee. The waitress brings it over to them in five seconds, meaning she would have to had first gotten the pot from the burner, filled the cups, placed them on the saucers and then carry them over to Frank and Jessie's table, a complete impossibility even for the most skilled waitress in such a short time.

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Quotes

Frank: He down our merch? Is it gone? Does he carry the cash on him, what?
Barry: I'm talking to somebody's somebody. I will know in about 25 minutes.

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Connections

Referenced in Solo quiero caminar (2008)

User Reviews

Movie Review: Thief (1981)

Thief, made way back in 1981, was Michael Mann's directorial debut and it is a fascinating heist film that has a lot more to it than you might think. Sure, it is a movie about a professional jewel thief, and there are extended sequences throughout the film depicting his expertise; however, I think the core of this movie is about relationships. It's about the type of relationships a person needs to have in order to live a rewarding life.

James Caan stars as the expert thief named Frank. Caan gives a remarkable performance in the title role creating a multi-layered character that is rarely seen in these types of movies. The movie shows us just how good Frank is at his job in the opening scene by showing him cracking a safe with tremendous ease. However, after he finishes the job, we see that there is more to Frank than just a jewel thief. He owns a car dealership and a restaurant, and he also makes a promise to break his mentor and father figure, Okla (Willie Nelson), out of prison. But to complete the picture, Frank needs a woman. In the memorable diner sequence, Frank opens his heart to a virtual stranger (Tuesday Weld) and they eventually get married.

Frank needs these relationships to be able to move on from his passion for theft and live a controlled, settled-down life style. In order to be able to retire much sooner, Frank sets up one more job with a powerful crime boss named Leo (Robert Prosky). Leo appears to be nice on the outside and tries to take Frank under his wing, but when Frank stays true to his desire of getting in and getting out, things take a turn for the worse.

This is a rare thriller film that has a lot of character development and also retains a fast pace throughout. From the great performances to the breathtaking score by Tangerine Dream, this is a film that is full of Mann trademarks from start to finish. It is one of his best works to date that is even good enough to draw inevitable comparisons to his future films such as Heat, Manhunter, and Public Enemies.

The only thing that disappointed me in this film was the ending. While I applaud the film for not choosing to travel the "happily ever after" route, I still don't think the movie ended on quite the right note. Even though the final sequence is a heart-pounding sequence of cat and mouse, I'm not sure it did justice to the relationships and the development that Frank's character made and experienced throughout the film.

This is a film that was not initially successful in commercial terms, but as Mann's name has turned into one that is synonymous with crime sagas, the film's popularity has increased since its initial theatrical release. A lot of that is due to the performance of James Caan, which is as good as anything he has ever done. He creates, in my opinion, one of the best characters ever to be featured in a Mann film. The movie is so smart and professionally made that it is definitely a film that anyone would enjoy. Ranking among Mann's best all-time work, Thief is a mesmerizing entry in the crime genre.