Thief

Plot synopsis:
Frank (James Caan) is a highly experienced jewel thief and hardened ex-convict who has a set structure to his life. With a pair of successful Chicago businesses (a bar and a car dealership) as fronts for his lucrative criminal enterprise, Frank sets out to fulfill the missing part of his life vision: a family beginning with Jessie (Tuesday Weld), a cashier he has begun dating.
After taking down a major diamond score, Frank gives the diamonds to his fence, Joe Gags (Hal Frank). However, before Frank can collect his $185,000 share of the score, Gags is murdered by being pushed out of a 12th-story window for skimming off mob collection money. Barry (James Belushi), Frank's friend and associate making the pick-up, discovers that a shady plating company executive Gags was working for, Mr. Attaglia (Tom Signorelli), is responsible for Gags' murder and stealing Frank's payoff. In a tense confrontation at Attaglia's plating company, Frank demands his money back.
This leads to a face-to-face meeting with Attaglia's employer, Leo (Robert Prosky), a high-level fence and Chicago Outfit boss. Unknown to Frank, Leo has been downing Frank's "merch" from Gags for some time. He admires Frank's eye for quality fenced goods and professionalism, and wants him taking down contract scores all over the country working directly for him, offering Frank large profits. "I'll make you a millionaire in four months," Leo states at their jargon-filled meeting, which is monitored from a distance by police surveillance – as well as a hidden Barry armed with a rifle, in case the meeting goes bad.
At first, Frank is reluctant to consider Leo's offer, not wanting to "deal with egos" or the added exposure. But later that night at a coffee shop, an emotional bonding with Jessie changes the game when she agrees to be part of his life after he relates a harrowing tale of prison survival by way of a toughened mental attitude. To hasten his plans, Frank now agrees to do just one big score for Leo, telling Barry that this will be their last job. With a little help from the paternal Leo after being rejected at the state adoption agency, Frank is even able to acquire a baby on the black market, a son he names David after his recently deceased mentor and closest friend from prison, nicknamed Okland (Willie Nelson).
Things start heating up on account of Frank's new association with Leo. After resisting a shakedown from a group of corrupt police detectives, then subsequently ditching their surveillance, Frank and his crew are soon involved in a large-scale West Coast diamond heist organized by Leo. All goes well with Frank's "burn job" and he is expecting the agreed-upon sum of $830,000 on $4 million wholesale of unmounted stones. But when Frank returns from the job, Leo tosses him an envelope containing less than $100,000, the "cash part" according to Leo, who says he has invested the rest of Frank's cut in shopping centers, an idea Frank had flatly rejected. In addition, Leo sets up a Palm Beach score for Frank in six weeks without consulting him. An irate Frank bluntly tells Leo that their deal is over, takes the envelope of cash as he leaves and demands the rest of his money in 24 hours or "...you will wear your ass for a hat."
Frank drives to his car lot unaware that Leo's henchmen have already beaten and captured Barry, and are waiting in ambush for him. In the set-up, Frank is knocked out with the butt of a carbine and Barry is killed by several shotgun blasts from Carl (Dennis Farina), one of Leo's main enforcers. Frank awakens with Leo staring down at him, surrounded by his henchmen. Leo coldly informs him that he, Jessie, their child, and everything he owns are Leo's property. He threatens to prostitute Jessie and "...whack out your whole family" if Frank does not continue working for him. Leo warns Frank to "tighten up" and focus on his responsibilities; meanwhile, his henchmen dispose of Barry's body, dumping it into a plating tank.
Frank goes home to contemplate his next move, gradually sinking into a hardened apathy akin to his prison days. He coldly orders an uncomprehending Jessie out of their house, telling her their marriage is over. He instructs an associate to drive her, the baby and $410,000 in cash somewhere where they cannot be found, informing Jessie more money will be coming at regular intervals, but that he will not be joining her.
With nothing to lose, Frank blows up their home in a fiery nighttime blast using high-explosive charges. He then drives to his business establishments and does the same, destroying his bar in a violent explosion then setting fire to his car lot. Armed with a pistol, he quietly breaks into Leo's house in a peaceful neighborhood and pistol whips Attaglia in the kitchen. Frank hunts for Leo, who is hiding, armed with a .357 Magnum revolver. Leo is inevitably located and gunned down. Frank then pursues Attaglia as he tries to escape from the house, but is promptly confronted in the front yard by Carl and another henchman. In the ensuing gunfight, Frank is shot, but manages to kill the trio. Frank loosens what appears to be a ballistic vest he was wearing beneath his jacket, and walks away into the night.

Tags: comedy, suspenseful, neo noir, murder, cult, violence, atmospheric, psychedelic, revenge

Review:
Michael Mann's best movie, with James Caan' best performance.
Cann is helped by a superb supporting cast, who on the surface may seem a motley bunch, but all are very good - Tuesday Weld ('Who'll Stop The Rain'), Jim Belushi (his movie debut), a memorable cameo from country legend Willie Nelson, and especially a fantastic turn from Robert Prosky.
Everything about this film is wonderful from the musical score by Tangerine Dream to the dark lighting effects to the authentic detail about the life of a thief ( I read that Michael Mann actually used real life thieves as technical advisors to this film!).
Starting with The Insider, I was intrigued by his camera-work and the use of music to compliment a scene.With Thief, his directorial debut, he shows what movie fans will be in store for over the 30 years.
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.
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.
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.
Music is by Tangerine Dream and cinematography by Donald Thorin.Frank (Caan) is a tough ex-con and expert jewel thief.
He's working his way out to a normal life, but after being lured to a big job for the mob, he finds plans on both sides severely altered.For his first full length theatrical feature, Michael Mann announced himself to the film world with some distinction, and in the process showed everyone what style of film making makes him tick.
But Frank, as smart, tough and savvy as he is, seems to thrive on the edge of things, with Mann giving him earthy and honest dialogue to engage us with, marking him out as an identifiable every man protagonist who just happens to be an exceptional thief.Mann's attention to detail is on show straight away, none more so than with the two key safe cracking jobs that are undertaken.
If Frank doesn't work for his boss, he will kill his wife (Tuesday Weld), his best friend (James Belushi) and destroy his entire life.Written and Directed by Michael Mann (Ali, Heat, The Keep) made an stylish character drama is that extremely well directed and acted by the cast.
Michael Mann's atmospheric and realistic profile of a seasoned professional thief (Caan in a brilliant turn) out for one lucrative score with a dream to lead a normal life with some dire circumstances standing in the way.
With Thief, Michael Mann distilled his crime film style into an archetypal, haunting aura that would go on to influence not only his excellent later work, but other filmmakers as well, everything from Refn's Drive to the police procedural we see on television today.
Thief weaves the age old tale of a master safe cracker(James Caan in a beautifully understated performance) the high stakes at risk of him performing one last job to escape, with said stakes represented as his angelic wife (Tuesday Weld) and newborn son.
Thief, for me, belongs that special subcategory of Mann's career along with Heat, Miami Vice and Collateral, (Public Enemies doesn't get to come in this elite cinematic treehouse club, it didn't do anything for me) that are very special crime films.
Unfortunately, in 'Thief' James Caan has Jim Belushi and a soundtrack by Tangerine Dream.Why did Michael Mann cast the 'Belush'?
The jewel heist that Frank (James Caan) and Barry (The Belush) carry out for Leo (Robert Prosky) could have been as great as the heists pulled off in 'Rififi' or 'Le Cercle Rouge', but nooooooooo, they had to use KORG synthesizers!!!!Caan does receive some help from a good, yet underused supporting cast, most notably from his wife Jessie (Tuesday Weld) and best friend Okla (Willie Nelson) who is terribly underused, and from Leo the mob boss (Robert Prosky).One of the standout scenes in the film occurs when Frank brings Jessie to a diner and spills to her the secret of his profession.
James Caan plays a highly talented thief who wants to leave his talents behind but equally magnetic people like Robert Prosky and Willie Nelson provide lucrative and nostalgic links to the past respectively.With a very fine and pulsing Tangerine Dream score, Michael Mann gets a justified excuse to continuously set high and low expectations for the viewers.
Michael Mann gives a preview of what would come in his later directed works, "Miami Vice" and "Heat", and sets the stage for later stylized, crime-romance flicks.Basically the plot has been done to death by now, but back in the early '80s it wasn't so cliché.
James Caan is as angry as he ever gets, Tuesday Weld is down-key and melancholy, Robert Prosky plays an unusually vulgar crime boss, Willie Nelson looks like he's about to cry every time you see him, and Jim Belushi comes across as a dopey, likable man-child.
Thus Frank (like Montana) is complex because he is both unlikable and angry and yet a far better person than his criminal counterparts in the underworld."Thief" is certainly recommended for any fans of James Caan, Michael Mann, underworld crime-thrillers, or any of the films mentioned above..
Long before Michael Mann made big budget, heavy handed deadly serious clunkers like Heat and American Gangster there was Thief a relatively low budget heavy handed deadly serious clunker in all its tortoise paced glory featuring James Caan and Tuesday Weld.
Weld looks medicated and the rest of the cast properly surly and threatening following the patented Mann formula that has changed little in thirty years.Overlong, stilted and gratuitously violent like the rest of Mann's oeuvre it does have the added bonus of one of the most obnoxious music scores (provided by Tangerine Zoo) in film history.
Master crime thriller director Michael Mann makes his big screen debut here and scores with a taut and gripping character study of career criminals.
Mann as usual shows his intricate eye for realism and detail, from the heist sequences, to the action, and also the fantastic dialogue scenes, particularly those involving Caan's initial courtship with the gorgeous Tuesday Weld, as Jessie.
There is also a pulsating and atmospheric score from Tangerine Dream.Thief is one of those brilliant movies that are generally ignored by the usual glitzy award ceremonies, yet feature performances, directing, and writing of such power that put to shame many of the seemingly politically nominated movies each year.
Mann a master of the crime thriller and the dark, tortured psyche first hit it big with this film which features the best performance in any of his productions from James Caan.
James Caan gives the best performance of his career in this compelling, though overlong, drama that first showed off Michael Mann's talent as director.
The film revolves around James Caan's safe- cracker Frank, a career criminal looking for one big score before retiring.
We are given little background to his character, but, like the rest of the film, the history is embedded within every frame.Mann, wanting the film to be as close to real-life as possible, employs real cops and criminals as actors, reversing their roles to further blur the line between the 'good' and 'bad' guys.
With Thief, it feels like we are thrust into this very real but secret world of crime, where Frank, who works alone when possible or employs his entrusted friend Barry (James Belushi) when necessary, agrees to work for shady crime boss Leo (Robert Prosky, who, along with Belushi and Farina, makes his film debut).With so much time spent with Frank (he appears in every scene), a lot rests upon Caan's shoulders, and he thankfully delivers what is undoubtedly his greatest performance.
The result is a technically slick and compelling drama.James Caan is superb in the lead role of Frank, a seasoned professional thief who specializes in jewelry and cash.
Young, John Kapelos, Mike Genovese, Nathan Davis, and Michael Paul Chan; future 'C.S.I.' star William Petersen and former Chicago cop Dennis Farina also made their feature film debuts here.Especially noteworthy are the cinematography by Donald Thorin and the typically atmospheric music by Tangerine Dream.
Becoming closer to his dream of leading a normal life, a professional safecracker (James Caan) agrees to do a job for the mafia, who have other plans for him.Being Michael Mann's feature film directorial debut, "Thief" showcases many of the cinematic techniques that would be his trademarks in the years to come: the cinematography, utilizing light and shadow to give the proceedings, especially those taking place in the darkness of night, a sense of danger.
An Excellent,Underrated Classic From Michael Mann And One Of The Best Crime Dramas Ever Made With a Brilliant Performance From James Caan..
Thief is an excellent,underrated classic and one of the best Crime Dramas ever made that is filled amazing direction,great performances from James Caan and rest of the cast,a fantastic script and a terrific soundtrack,Thief is Michael Mann and James Caan at their best.Based on the novel The Home Invaders:Confessions Of A Cat Burgler by Frank Hohimer and set in Chicago,Illinois,Thief tells the story of Frank(James Caan),an ex-convict and money and jewel thief and safe cracker who after years of being a Thief wants to get out of the life and start a new one with his girlfriend Jesse(Tuesday Weld).
But when Frank is offered a to do a job for a local crime boss named Leo(Robert Prosky),getting out of his life being a Thief will be harder than he thought.Released in 1981,Michael Mann's amazing directorial debut Thief while earning rave reviews was a failure at the Box Office and overlooked by film goers.
But over the years Thief has become a Cult Classic and seen as one of the best Crime Dramas ever made and helped define the filmmaking style of Michael Mann.
Frank is such a great character because while he is tough and gritty and a master thief he is likable and complex personality that is not Black and White but with a gray area and moral ambiguity that's in the spirit of Film-Noir almost to the point where you are rooting for him get out of the life and start a new one.
Great job,Mann.The score by Tangerine Dream is amazing,powerful,intense and one of the best scores I've heard in a film and truly adds to the film.
Fantastic score from Tangerine Dream.In final word,if you love Michael Mann,James Caan,Crime Dramas,Film-Noir,Action Films or films in general,I highly suggest you see Thief,an excellent,underrated classic that is filmmaking at it's best.
Michael Mann's brilliant script and stylish direction are great eye candy and James Caan gives a stellar performance.
Powerhouse acting by James Caan in a superb Michael Mann's movie.
First feature film of Michael Mann, the ones whose movies i always liked to say the least.All in all, "Thief" is a pure movie gem.
Robert Prosky makes out well with his performance as the sad-faced Leo. I can't believe I am saying this, but Willie Nelson does a great job as the master thief who acts as a father figure towards Frank.
James Caan stars as "Frank," a tough professional safe-cracker who prefers to work alone, but finds himself trapped between an organized crime family and a squad of corrupt police.
Mann goes for realism all the way, and styles it heavily with great camera work, a pulsing Tangerine Dream score, and great performances all around, especially Caan, and Robert Prosky as Leo, the big shot who handles the fence for half of Chicago.
Michael Mann is a great director and his first theatrical film does not disappoint.If you loved his other pictures "Heat", "Collateral" and "Miami Vice" behold, this is the very film that started it all; Big Cities, Bright lights, crime and pretty women.
Akin to John Boorman's "Point Blank" or Mike Hodges' "Get Carter" (1971), the viewer of "Thief" is seduced by the director to like the bad guy (anti-hero).Two, the director Michael Mann had a rare ear for good music.
Much later I realized that this talent was the foundation for the Mann's brilliant use of Elliot Goldenthal's riveting music in the "action" sequences of Mann's 1995 film "Heat." Three, the director could elicit a rare but marvelous performances from James Caan, and pick three extraordinary debut screen performances from Robert Prosky (which was truly remarkable), Jim Belushi, and William Peterson.
That's Mann's rare talentto churn out memorable performances from minor characters and Prosky's turn in this film is a delight to watch.Mann's writing ability comes to the fore in "Thief," if one studies the dialog between Frank (Caan) and Jessie (Tuesday Weld) where Frank proposes to Jessie.
A "master thief" (James Caan) is trapped in a vice created by on-the-take cops and the neon signed Mr Bigs that run him and also the local big-time-heist business.Crime will always appeal to B league directors such as Micheal Mann because they allow anything to happen at any time.
Robert Prosky is VERY impressive as the crime boss Leo.The only thing I didn't like is the undeveloped love story between Frank and Jesse (Tuesday Weld) .
I personally believe this is James Caan's best work ever by a landslide,, The soundtrack is awesome,, Tangerine Dream,, really knocks it out of the park,, you have a mid level con man/ thief trying to get by in everyday life,, being a crook,, and a decent family man in the process.he decides to take one more job for the Mafia,, but they unfortunately for him have other plans..
Michael Mann's feature length debut "Thief" was a very impressive beginning which showcased the talent of its leading man James Caan in this luminously clinical heist / character drama where a professional diamond thief finds himself caught between an organised crime mob and that of his personal life.
There's quite an acidity to the script (as there's a lot more going on than just the job in what eventuates is something like a day in the life of a thief) and the performances are realistically pitched with excellent support by Tuesday Weld, Robert Prosky, Willie Nelson, James Belushi and Denis Farina.
Editing, production design are all excellent, and Michael Mann makes full use of the Chicago locations in particular, and blends this with a meticulous attention to realism (he used real life thieves and police as advisers on this project) within the context of the highly stylised photography in the way he uses locations, background action, and the low-key and grounded nature of cast performances.While acting performances are very good all round, the focus of the film is James Caan, and he doesn't disappoint.
Support is OK but all of them really come a far second behind the lead of Caan.Mann gives the film a great feel.
Michael Mann's first film, Thief stars James Caan as a professional diamond looter.
"Thief" was Michael Mann's first and best film.
James Caan plays a master thief who, as the film opens, is on the job.
The last 15 minutes is where most of the action is as the soundtrack blares with the great Tangerine Dream music and no dialogue whatsoever.Mann's talent is evident from the start and it's no surprise that he would go on to make other great films like "Manhunter", "Last of the Mohicans", "Heat", and "The Insider".
Michael Mann's accomplishments as a film director have given respectability to a man heretofore known mostly as the creator of television's ``Miami Vice.'' He's been justly recognized for his work on ``Manhunter,'' ``The Last of the Mohicans'' and ``The Insider.'' What you may not know is that he made a very good movie in 1981, three years before ``Miami Vice.'' That was ``Thief,'' starring James Caan, Tuesday Weld, James Belushi and Robert Prosky.
Leo is so influential he can offer Caan anything even a baby for Jessie(Tuesday Weld) and himself.The score goes down and Caan thinks he's free, but Leo wants more.....A richly stylish film set on the streets of Chicago, married superbly by a sparkling, industrial rock music score by German band, Tangerine Dream.Some of the safe cracking scenes are truly memorable & realistic - too realistic in fact, since a lot of English police authorities wanted some of the scenes showing various tools cut from the movie.They weren't!Caan is ably supported by a rather underplayed but decent performance from his pal, James Belushi.
James Caan as Frank gives one of the best performances of his career in this movie , watch the scene where he describes his prison experiences and the scene in the adoption agency , an excellent performance , oh and the rest of the cast give a good showing too in this violent , gritty , foul mouthed thriller .
Thief is a very good crime drama, coming from the master of the genre, Michael Mann.Thief is the story of Frank, a used car salesman and part time safe cracker, who likes to do things his own way, but by chance, gets drawn into a deeper criminal underworld that he doesn't want to be a part of.The success of the film lies in its realism, and its central character, Frank is a real character, full of depth, someone the audience can relate to and want to come out on top.
James Caan & Robert Prosky give good performances in Thief, a movie that dates itself by taking away all the glitz and glamour that's associated with high-dollar thieves in today's films (and this is a Michael Mann movie!).
Thief is a wonderfully directed and well acted film starring James Caan.
Also, we get James Caan's best performance to date, stylish cinematography from Donald Thorin, and a great electronic score from Tangerine Dream.