Review: Thief (1981)

James Lanternman
3 min readJul 22, 2021

Thief is the kind of film that falls short of greatness, but has unique qualities that make it a standout in its genre. The first notable entry in Michael Mann’s filmography, it has three big things going for it: amazing photography, great direction, and a protagonist rendered brilliantly and memorably on screen by James Caan.

It might be Caan’s most committed performance, and it feels like one he put parts of himself into. In interviews Caan speaks almost fondly of Frank, the titular thief in question, sympathising with his situation and his attitude to survival. Frank is trying to take a shortcut in order to make something out of what is left of his life, after a long stay in prison for petty theft (a short stint extended by acts of self-defence while inside, we are told).

Caan mentions choosing to articulate his words very clearly and carefully for this role since Frank is a man who cannot afford to waste time: to the extent that he does not want to say things twice, or to be misunderstood. This idea of the character as “a man with no time” lies at the heart of the story. It fuels the film and sets its tone.

Look, I have run out of time. I have lost it, all. And so I can’t work fast enough to catch up and I can’t run fast enough to catch up, and the only thing that catches me up is doing my magic act.

The style of acting is loosely in the same vein as 1970s action films starring actors like Charles Bronson or Steve McQueen. Caan’s delivery comes off as stilted at first, but when you realise it’s an intentional stylistic choice to illustrate the character’s inner mindset, and it clicks, it becomes one of the most enjoyable parts of the film.

The photography is great. The composition is superb, and the colour palette has a beautiful “dirty city by night” feel. The image has a gorgeous filmic quality — an inimitable grain, contrast, and dynamic range. Cities and industrial settings can’t look much better than this. It helps elevate the film into something really special and worthy of discussion alongside the best heist flicks.

Michael Mann returned to the same genre in 1995 with Heat, which is practically a companion film — it would make a great double feature with Thief. Both have a similar tone and pace. A kind of subdued, slow-burning fuse leading up to a…

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