It'd been several years since I'd seen it so, when I saw 1981's Thief was currently on The Criterion Channel, I decided to watch it again. It was even better than I remembered.
The first ten minutes or so could work as a beautiful short film. We watch Frank (James Caan) and his cohorts crack a safe, showers of sparks around Frank as he drills into the metal. It's a success and afterwards Frank chills at the docks in the early morning. He offers a danish to a stranger and the two agree the sunrise is beautiful, which it is.
Tangerine Dream's score is a gently exciting synthasiser drone for city nighttime shots between jobs. When Frank's at work, a drone of electric guitar emerges and this movie so nicely conveys the impression of working hard at a job you're good at.
Frank does have anger issues. Over a decade in prison has deprived him of basic social skills and he lacks the patience to learn them. He practically abducts the girl he wants to marry (Tuesday Weld)--lucky for him, she really does like him. He makes a scene at the adoption agency where he's not so lucky.
The film's famous for its meticulous attention to real details, coming from real life thieves who served as technical advisors. In the end, though, the film's really a fantasy, almost in the mould of a Charles Bronson vigilante film. The climax is preposterous as Frank alone goes to take down the gang that hired him. But Caan's performance never stops being terrific and Michael Mann's direction--this was his first film--shows him already to be a master of pacing.
Thief is available on The Criterion Channel.
No comments:
Post a Comment