Rating: 
Summary: best
Review: this is the best movie you will ever see it is james cann's best move don't miss it
Rating: 
Summary: The soundtrack!
Review: Rarely does a soundtrack enhance a film the way it does in the movie THIEF. The music by Tangerine Dream is a BIG part of the film and only adds to the edge-of-your-seat excitement. This is a fine film, with great visuals. Michael Mann should be proud.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic !
Review: Great work by Michael Mann and actor James Caan and the sound track by tangerine dream. James caan as a safe cracker. mann could not have picked a better actor WOW !.when I got the DVD I could not wait to watch this.the only flaw is that there is a few freezes in this picture that should not be, why I have no Idea so instead of 110% I will give this 100% the ending is fantastic except for that flaw and the music by tangerine dream Is great especially the ending with slow motion and the lead guitar in it,GREAT Guitar work..And the commentary is great too. I recommend it...
Rating:
Summary: An overlooked classic
Review: Mann's direction is superlative, culminating in one of his typically knockout endings. But what really blew me away in this film was the performance of James Caan. If you only know him as the rather scary-looking guy from such [bad] films as "Eraser" and "Honeymoon in Vegas", you are in for a revelation. The scene with Tuesday Weld mentioned by the Amazon reviewer is as masterful a piece of American film acting as I have ever seen. It's right up there with Al Pacino in "The Godfather" or Jeff Bridges in just about everything he's ever done. Simply amazing work.
Rating:
Summary: The Precursor to "Heat"
Review: First, the DVD is not top-notch. Some ghosting in the picture etc. Hope for a better edition some day. What IS topnotch on the DVD is the Commentary by Michael Mann and James Caan. We learn that they immersed themselves in the world of "master" jewel thieves and cops and that many of the capers shown were based on real jobs these guys did. All of the background they discuss lets you know why Thief looks and feels so authentic. AND it's very funny as well.Michael Mann's first film is stylish, slick, and as noted above, gritty and authentic. Caan is terrific and is ably supported by Tuesday Weld, Jim Belushi, and Robert Prosky, and a terrific cameo by Willy Nelson. A master thief, raised and "educated" in state institutions and prisons, Caan is a man who has "run out of time". He learned to survive in prison by not caring about himself or anyone (which we learn in a great scene with Tuesday Weld), he was taught by a master thief (Nelson) and he has a dream he created that he is trying to fulfill. His dream is the adolescent dream of the family and house with a white picket fence, imagined in prison, and now trying to be made real in the world. Caan is a lone wolf, working his own jobs with his own crew. In order to speed up the completion of his dream he decides to throw in with Prosky's mob, and take on jobs for pay. This leads to a crisis and Caan must make a fateful decision. Great photography; terse and tough dialogue; terrific pounding soundtrack; absolutely stunning & complex robberies; stylish direction and excellent acting. Really good stuff. This is a great companion piece to Mann's "Heat". I want to think that it is Caan's character that DeNiro refers to in Heat as the old guy in prison that taught him you have to be ready to drop and leave everything in your life if the "Heat" is near....anyway, this was the terrific precursor to that great film, and you can see that the themes explored here were later developed and elaborated on in Heat. Two great films. This one 4-1/2 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Movie, Great Soundtrack.
Review: Edition: Special Director's Edition Audio: Very Good Video: Very Good, some ghosting or artifacts Extras: Commentary, Full Motion Scene Index, Extra Scenes, Trailers, Widescreen, Subtitles Master thief who can "take a trimmin" battles back against a mobster and the cops while carrying a picture of Willie Nelson, swearing he'll "never, ever, take a pinch from a greasy motherf*#@$! like you!" Commentary is funny, sort of inside story stuff. There is one extra scenes inserted, doesn't add much but it doesn't take too long. Haven't heard it in 5.1, but the stereo reproduction is excellent, especially if you are a fan of the Tangerine Dream soundtrack. You get to learn cool facts about some of the other actors in the movie listening to the commentary, like which ones used to be cops and crooks in real life. Could have had more extra features, like a making of and stuff, but they have to save something for the Extra Special Director's Cut Awards Edition, right? Excellent DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: May be good, but slow
Review: I read several reviews on Amazon that indicated this was a great movie. It has a great cast, so I purchased the DVD. First, it is not worth the price since the sound is NOTHING better than the less expensive VHS format; and the difference in picture quality is nothing to brag about either. It is a very slow at the beginning, and seems disjointed. We were not able to watch the movie past 30 minutes as it just is too boring during the first 30 minutes. Purchasing this DVD was a WASTE OF GOOD MONEY. I'm now into DVD rentals - if it is good,then I will purchase the DVD for the library. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I can see why I never heard about this film before...........not too many eyes found it worthwile in 1987 either!
Rating:
Summary: The most authentic crime film ever made...
Review: 'Thief' remains the apex of American crime films. This film features what is arguably the truest and grittiest depiction of a criminal mind in film history. The screenplay is impeccably written, with a fine ear for realistic street dialogue. The acting is absolutely superb all around. The actual burglary sequences, so precise and meticulous, are flawless in conception and execution. A masterpiece!
Rating:
Summary: Modern-day opera for the big screen
Review: Michael Mann's adaptation of Frank Hohimer's book "The Home Invaders" makes as sparkling but doom-laden a tale of suspense and human drama as it did on its release almost 20 years ago. James Caan gives a powerful performance as an ex-con safe-cracker, prepared to sacrifice everything and anyone else in order to live up to his unrealistic (and rather naïve and simplistic) belief in his own personal freedom to control his life. It also features James Belushi in his first major film role. This movie is not so much concerned with action (though it has plenty) as with the ideology (albeit a rather warped one) of the individual-something that is rather out of fashion these days. Most of the drama in this film is carried in the dialogue, which Mann allows sufficient time to play out fully, making it a slower-paced but more intimate film than one likely to be made nowadays. Mann's use of real ex- (and not-so-ex-!) safe-crackers as 'technical consultants' during the making of the film-as well as most scenes being filmed using real gear, not studio mock-ups-also imbue the film with a gritty realism that is also rare these days. (The camera tricks employed during the final shoot-out scene are a bit silly, though.) Mann's choice of Tangerine Dream to supply the music for the film was another masterstroke, adding to the raw, ice-edged feel of the film. Naturally, Mann knows precisely when to use the music to its full and when to hold off, making it all the more effective. Long periods with neither dialogue nor music all add to the feeling of realism-and the suspense. This DVD production is a slightly different cut from that released in cinemas (although not significantly) and also includes an interesting commentary audio track by Mann and Caan. Unfortunately, it suffers somewhat from poor image quality-no anamorphic enhancement-for which it loses a star. Otherwise, this comes highly recommended for lovers of grittier fare.
Rating:
Summary: One OF The Greats
Review: All around on of my favorites that has really drifted into obscurity at the video store. I love the movie and the scene where Caan goes to the bar to get his girl is just classic. The music, acting, and camera work make a mood that is all too real.
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