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I find this to be a perfect movie. The dialog is impeccably written as this was handled by Mann himself. His pet project. So much technique is on display here, from the camera work with curiously metered positions and movements, to the night time street photography. The set design echos an emerald gemstone in contrast with the overall diamond theme of glassy white (a local bar for the thief's operations have green tinted gels on the windows).
The action and gun play is handled much like Mann's Manhunter, where a few jump cuts are employed to give the carnage an other worldly and slightly out of time effect. Definitely a precursor in style, this may be his most stylish in the most subtle of ways because it is spread out much more, and tastefully placed, as opposed to a jam packed array of non stop visuals like Dante Spinotti did for the look of his 1986 masterpiece.
James Caan takes the character of Frank and makes him fun, menacing and believable. His no nonsense street smart maturity is only undone by his pained past. Outbursts are seldom an issue unless it involves any obstacle standing in his way to orchestrate the life he wants. His love interest (played by Tuesday Weld - in an equally respectable performance) wants kids but cannot bear children. After being turned away from an adoption agency for his served jail time, he turns to a crime boss for help reluctantly in the acquisition of an illegal adoption. Setting up his real life, and doing one more big job for the evil lord (Robert Prosky - Darnell from Christine) is the plan, and then he wants out, to live the rest of his time with his family, financially comfortable.
The icy resolve in this film is so poetic and intense that I almost had to stop the film and breath for a few minutes. Mann wrangles the very best film score ever completed by German Electro-hippes Tangerine Dream with what can only be described as highly dramatic old wave. The music and sound design builds this movie brick by brick with a fascinating urgency and realness, despite the almost trance-like allure of the cinematography and editing.
The process of breaking into the building and vault are executed with such a precision and grace that it really is like you are there with them. The crisp editing and score continue to bring about a stomach sick nausea, with the viewer waiting for something to go wrong.
This is a beautiful crime drama that looks amazing, is acted flawlessly, and may be Michael Mann's very finest hour.
I highly recommend that this is watched in an HD format with a very loud surround sound set-up. I had this thing cranked and it was amazing!
Thief (1981)
Director: Michael Mann
Director: Michael Mann
I find this to be a perfect movie. The dialog is impeccably written as this was handled by Mann himself. His pet project. So much technique is on display here, from the camera work with curiously metered positions and movements, to the night time street photography. The set design echos an emerald gemstone in contrast with the overall diamond theme of glassy white (a local bar for the thief's operations have green tinted gels on the windows).
The action and gun play is handled much like Mann's Manhunter, where a few jump cuts are employed to give the carnage an other worldly and slightly out of time effect. Definitely a precursor in style, this may be his most stylish in the most subtle of ways because it is spread out much more, and tastefully placed, as opposed to a jam packed array of non stop visuals like Dante Spinotti did for the look of his 1986 masterpiece.
James Caan takes the character of Frank and makes him fun, menacing and believable. His no nonsense street smart maturity is only undone by his pained past. Outbursts are seldom an issue unless it involves any obstacle standing in his way to orchestrate the life he wants. His love interest (played by Tuesday Weld - in an equally respectable performance) wants kids but cannot bear children. After being turned away from an adoption agency for his served jail time, he turns to a crime boss for help reluctantly in the acquisition of an illegal adoption. Setting up his real life, and doing one more big job for the evil lord (Robert Prosky - Darnell from Christine) is the plan, and then he wants out, to live the rest of his time with his family, financially comfortable.
The icy resolve in this film is so poetic and intense that I almost had to stop the film and breath for a few minutes. Mann wrangles the very best film score ever completed by German Electro-hippes Tangerine Dream with what can only be described as highly dramatic old wave. The music and sound design builds this movie brick by brick with a fascinating urgency and realness, despite the almost trance-like allure of the cinematography and editing.
The process of breaking into the building and vault are executed with such a precision and grace that it really is like you are there with them. The crisp editing and score continue to bring about a stomach sick nausea, with the viewer waiting for something to go wrong.
This is a beautiful crime drama that looks amazing, is acted flawlessly, and may be Michael Mann's very finest hour.
I highly recommend that this is watched in an HD format with a very loud surround sound set-up. I had this thing cranked and it was amazing!