The MoFo Top 100 Neo-noir Countdown

I watched Thief for the first time yesterday. I have been meaning to watch Thief for a while now. Honestly, I thought it was just alright, but not as good as I expected based on its reputation. I felt it dragged at times and wasn't as interesting or engaging as it should have been and ended up rating it a 6/10. Zodiac is good, but not a favourite, so it was not in contention for my ballot.

Seen: 59/72

Zodiac has been a favorite of mine since I first watched it in the theater. It's full of atmosphere and offers some really wonderful performances. That the crimes it centers around happened in my neck of the woods adds to the experience for me, though I wasn't yet born when they happened. It was a no-brainer that this one would get my vote and I placed it at #8 on my ballot.

Here's what I wrote about it when I rewatched it for the 2000s Countdown:

My Ballot:
1. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (#35)
2. You Were Never Really Here (#50)
3. The Man From Nowhere (#87)
4. The Departed (#53)
5. The Big Lebowski (#38)
7. True Romance (#60)
8. Zodiac (#30)
12. Shutter Island (#86)
13. The Nice Guys (#39)
14. Inherent Vice (#41)
15. Gone Girl (#34)
16. Pulp Fiction (#37)
17. Killer Joe (#66)

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I haven't seen Thief, but with James Caan and Tuesday Weld I need to see it!

2 good movies but I've been meaning to see Zodiac again because I think I can get more out of it. That scene down by the water is very disturbing.

The above quote seems to be the mantra, or perhaps justification, of Frank (James Caan), the titular character on Michael Mann's feature film debut. After spending a dozen years in prison, Frank finds himself out and alone, with no talent or skills other than stealing. Already in his 40's, Frank has his eyes set on a family, and to achieve that, he might have to do one last score.

The above synopsis might feel a bit cliché, and it's true; it has been done a thousand times. But Mann's script and direction paired with Caan's performance manage to keep the film feeling honest and fresh. Frank is not a nice guy; he is a bit of a jerk, but you can feel where he's coming from, and how he's gotten to the point where he is. His desire to settle down seems close when he is approached by Leo (Robert Prosky), a mobster that wants to hire Frank to do several jobs. One doesn't need a crystal ball to predict that things will go awry at some point.

Released in 1981, Thief oozes a style that became synonymous with Mann. The neon lights, the cool ambiance, the tough guys... it's all there. But as much as its style is upfront, Thief also manages to be a smart and mature thriller. I had to get over the racist slurs in the script ("chinks... Puerto Ricans... etc."), but I understand where it's coming from. Plus, most of the performances are pretty good, with Caan, and maybe Prosky stealing the show. And that's the beauty of it. Just two "old men" doing they're "magic trick" and delivering a damn, fine film in the process.

Grade:

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My apologizes, but not only did I hate Zodiac (not my type of movie) I thought it was very flawed in how it was made. From the Personal Recommendation HoF IV, I wrote this:


For me, watching innocent victims being tied up and stabbed to death is way too violent to enjoy the movie especially when the scene is so brutally realistic and depicts an actual murder...I just don't need that image burned into my brain. Many movie watchers are desensitized to violence by the movies that they watch, so that they don't view brutal killings as shown in Zodiac as much of a big deal. But I don't watch slasher horror films, etc and so the killings were horrible to watch.

As an aside, I don't think showing the killings are necessary or even helpful to the movie's story, they could've been done off screen. The stories focus is that the Zodiac is a conundrum, a puzzling mystery to all. By showing the audience the actual crimes it takes away from the feeling of being in the cops shoes and feeling completely baffled by the mystery, as it makes us privy to what actual happened.

Even without the disturbing killings, this was a poorly directed movie. Both Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. blew in this. Downey was the same off the wall, nutsy druggie/drunk character that he's played in so many other films. He's like a caricature, good in a comedy-drama but silly in such a serious film. ***Update: he did prove himself a fine dramatic actor in Oppenheimer.

Gyllenhaal is just a boring actor. I've never really liked him. He had no handle on how to be the odd, cartoonist guy. I was painful aware of his attempts at doing a 'character' and he failed as his acting was too 'visible'. It was only towards the end of the film when he became obsessed with finding the identity of the Zodiac that his performance rang true.

Mark Ruffalo and his cop partner were both good in this and I did like whoever played Melvin Belli too.

The story itself was lagging, did this really need to be 2 hours and 45 minutes? Zodiac has the same lack luster quality as another disappointing news investigative movie, The Post.

A really good investigative, true crime movie was Spotlight...about child abuse by pedophile Catholic priest...and that film didn't need to show children being horribly abused for shock value.

2 from my list today. Zodiac was my #2. Thief was my #22. Just 2 much for a 2s'day.

Zodiac is a good movie although I don't love it.

I have yet to see Thief.

He just posted like 20 minutes ago

Thief didn't vote for Thief. Harsh.

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IMDb
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I've seen and liked both, with Zodiac taking the cake, but neither film made my ballot.

SpelingError didn't read well Seriously, I did! I said I had it at #11. I didn't vote for Zodiac though

2 for 2 today. Zodiac could have (and maybe should have) been on my list. It's a near perfect fusion of director to subject matter.

Thief is my #9 pick. That makes 9 spots accounted for. Not looking too good for a clean sweep but I'll settle for a dirty wipe.

I recently rewatched it just because it's a great movie. It's got that trademark Michael Mann cool and a soundtrack by Tangerine Dream that impressed the hell out of me as a high schooler. Still does. It's one a handful of movies I associate with those times.

48 of 72 seen so far.

If we'd have a crime/thriller list I'd have struggled to get it to 25 for the opposite reason I did.

Seeing Angel Heart appear struck me cold, as I knew I'd forgotten it on my list. I looked with hope that I was wrong but, alas, no. Should've been there. Probabaly should've put Collateral too?

Heat I had at #6. I've said a few times that I like watching it more than I enjoy it and that was the same the last time I saw it about 4 years ago. It looks great.

I saw Zodiac once or twice and liked it a lot. Didn't really think of it for this, though.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

Two of my absolute all time favorites that I just don’t put in this category.

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Letterboxd

Apparently, I read your post too fast. Never mind the intrusion then.

A double whiff for me. I've never even heard of Thief.

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

Shhh, he's right there. He can hear you.