Thief: Critic Reviews

Mr. Mann may well become a very good theatrical film maker but, among other things, he's going to have to learn how to edit himself, to resist the temptation to allow dialogue that is colorful to turn, all of a sudden, into deep, abiding purple.

It's one of those films where you feel the authority right away: This movie knows its characters, knows its story, and knows exactly how it wants to tell us about them.

A slick Chicago crime-drama with a well-developed sense of pathos running throughout.

neo-Melvillian existentialism

Not just the best film of [Michael Mann's] career, but one of the best American films of the whole of the 1980s.

A philosophical thriller filled with modernist cool.

A tough and intense crime thriller. James Caan gives one of his finest performances.

A cool action film.

Thief embues the crime story genre with fresh sophistication.

An engrossing early effort from Michael Mann

It's a shame Thief isn't better remembered by people. If you really enjoy films about robberies, this one is right up your alley. Caan is terrific, and Mann's budding talent is evident.

Good guys and bad guys have never been harder to peg, which is why Thief is so much fun, filled with nuance and subtlety not often found among caper flicks.