Top-Tier stuff as always, Matt! Thief is an incredibly cool film, and I had a lot of fun talking about it and its impact on the crime genre. Thanks again for letting me be a part of this!
Just watched Thief tonight because of your video. It was a great movie. The diner conversation between Frank and his girlfriend was the best part. Real,honest dialogue. After seeing this, it’s easy to see how Michael Mann went to executive produce the TV show Miami Vice and make it an enormous hit.
That diner convo scene is one of my favourites in any movie. It's so raw and real. Two people taking a risk laying it all on the line in front of each other.
Leo's speech is the best . But the diner conversation is used at some of the best acting schools in the world Lee Strauss has his students even act it out
I originally watched Thief just because I thought the cover was cool and was blown away by how incredible the film actually was. The diamond heist was one of the most visually breathtaking scenes ever and the intense final act with Tangerine Dream‘s soundtrack solidified this film as a masterpiece to me.
Fun Facts: M. Mann hired Dennis Farina & John Santucci as technical advisors. Farina was a former Chicago cop & Santucci a former, real-life burglar. Farina even arrested Santucci years ago, for burglary. And the most funny thing is: Santucci plays the corrupt cop while Farina plays the henchman of the gangsterboss, in the movie. Both of them worked again with M. Mann in the tv-shows Crime Story & Miami Vice. Sadly, Santucci's acting career went downhill, he returned to crime in the 90's and was arrested & convicted for burglary. R.I.P James Caan, Dennis Farina
What made it so chilling was Leo’s 180 from friendly paternal dad to cold and ruthless psychopath overnight. The mask came off and by the time you realize it it’s too late.
One of my all time favorites! So many great scenes, so many quotable line! So many life lessons! "My money in 24 hours, or you will wear your ass for a hat." Please do MOHICANS next!
"I am the LAST guy that you want to f**k with!" "We're your new partners! We're in for ten points!" "YOU can put YOUR money on the street. MY money goes in the bank!"
Brilliant lighting would like to see a prequel with Scott Caan if only, can see how Miami Vice was influenced in 1984, wish the Punisher and Daredevil would have more of this influence.
I wonder if Mann would agree with your socialist take on "Thief." Otherwise, nicely encapsulated. I'll have to catch your view of "Heat" and "Manhunter."
Absolute worthless analysis of this fine movie. Jamming capitalism, freedom, blue collar life and references to the 'system' and everything else this clot can throws at it diminishes the truth of this film. Frank loves freedom and rejects knuckling down to Leo. He refuses to acquiesce and knows he has to reject the claims of businesses, family and possibly life itself to secure that freedom. The neo-Marxist BS preached in this 'analysis' is rubbish and has no place in this film whatsoever. It is the story of a man looking to redeem his formerly worthless life, establish a family, taking a shortcut and being betrayed by what he thought was a close friend. He triumphs over what would make most surrender and, hopefully, in the end, goes back to find his family. No one, without a mindset like Frank's, could have pulled that off. Frank is that man who knows freedom is more valuable than life itself. And he'll do ANYTHING to keep his. A GREAT film!
There is no triumph in the end. Frank is free (or is he? The Chicago outfit wouldn't tolerate the killings of its top people) but he's lost the family he wanted. He can never work in Chicago again. On the run from cops and the mob. If anything, Frank's individualism was incompatible with his pretentions to a family life and societal respectability. He wanted it all and ended up with pretty much nothing but the fact that he was still alive at the end of the film's narrative. Frank was the author of his own tragic story.
@@Evemeister12 Good response but I disagree. The 'Chicago mob' was Leo and his thugs. They're fertilizer now and of no concern. Frank can still find Joseph and his wife and child and start over anywhere he wishes. It will be difficult but he has not submitted to Leo's world. THAT is his triumph and proof that his heart was right. Frank is a model (though not as a criminal, of course) of those who make their own world and refuse to submit to the tyrannies of everyday life despite all (including the murder of a best friend and the threat that you will work for me until you are broken, busted or dead) thrown at them. No tragedy whatsoever. That would be working for Leo and hoping that he does not get arrested. Frank would have sold his soul in the process and died inside. Instead, he manned up and did what was necessary and made the threat go away. Frank did just fine and has some cool stories to tell his son in his old age. Best Movie Ever!
If you look online you'll find dozens of fawning reviews and videos about how great "Drive" is, and although it is a good movie, it literally rips off everything from the much superior "Thief," even down to the soundtrack.
Some little known fact: Manns team reached out to Pink Floyd to use their score of Comfortably Numb from the Wall album for the end scenes. Pink Floyd declined permissions but due to the popular chord progressions and total lack of lyrics they were able to pull off a 'slightly numb' musical score. It begins as soon as Frank pumps 2 rounds from his .45 into Leo's chest. Listen to Comfortably Numb (if your not familiar with it) then play "Leo Gets His Oats' from the movie. You'll see.
Thief is as good as they get for a first feature. Everything was laid out and the foundation was put down for a great run of films by Mann and the various teams he put together over the years. Thanks for the excellent analysis by you and Every Kind of Geek.
Ah TD my favorite band their music is the soundtrack to my life I've been a fan for almost 50 years and have been to 6 of their concerts over the years. Another great movie with their soundtrack is Sorcerer which came out before Thief
This is a real underrated masterpiece. One of my all time favorites. In my opinion the movie takes on the question of the individual in society issue at its core. I liken it to films like One Flew Over the Cukoos Nest and Cool Hand Luke. Not to say it's not a classic crime drama also. But I find it asking the question; exactly where and how do I fit in? Frank is accomplished, confident and exceptionally skilled but ultimately a loner. Because he doesn't trust, because he's unable to trust? Difficult to say. But like Luke and Randle in Cukoos Nest in the end he knows no other way than to do things his way. Consequences be dammed. Men like this are always either admirable or dangerous or both. In any event they make for the most compelling characters. The Greeks said ' character is destiny " This film brings that point home. A great great film. People who think it's just a crime drama. Don't get it.
My God, what an analysis!! I musta seen "Thief" hundreds of times, but never did I see the classist/exploitation subtext. Well done, Matt. Well done! Consider me subscribed!
Excellent stuff Matt. One of my all time favorite movies (the Criterion edition cover is my phone backdrop for the past 5 years) and Caan's best role, no doubt. Mann is my fav director and I always have a hard time deciding which movie of his is my favorite. I usually keep vacillating depending on which one I am watching at the moment lol. But I ALWAYS come back to THIEF so it has to be top three (with Manhunter and Heat). And I have owned three different versions of the Tangerine Dream score :-)
I actually plan to get Thief at the upcoming Criterion sale at Barnes and Noble and this video just cemented that. Great video Matt, you and Doug really got to what makes Thief not only a great movie, but how the elements of our system impacts the people below the 1%, as well as a fantastic beginning for Michael Mann’s filmography. Hope there will be more Mann videos in the future.
1:24 absolutely wrong . Its not a story of the pursuit of a blue collar profession . *** Its a story of a convict with a dream transposed on a collage ".. Its about a man trying to catch up on time... His dreams rely on doing alot in a shorter amount of time to achieve his goal.. Frank called them .."mini moves"... "magic act" ect...
Love some Michael Mann and crime/noir movies in general. Favorite of Mann's might be Manhunter. If I could reccomend a hidden gem noir, it'd be the 1951 film He Ran All The Way. Wondering what Mann film we get next year. Maybe Miami Vice or Blackhat? 👀
This critique perfectly mirrors my own feelings about the film and what it tries to convey to its audience. In the film donnie brasco (1997), al pacino's character "lefty" refers to himself as a spoke on a wheel. Years of graft and being a stand up guy came to nothing for him in the mob life. Just exploitation. Same as with this film. In thief, frank is a prisoner to his ideals. He could've compromised, accepting Leo's exploitation in return for the family life helped frank build and getting Okla out of prison. Or simply rejectiing criminality in favour of the equally exploitative but less dangerous legit world of work. No man is an island.
I remember watching this flick for the very first time, and when Leo gave Frank a very light envelope rather than the $800k plus they agreed on, Frank says WTF? Leo: That is the cash part. Knew that was the wrong answer for Frank. Caan had created a strong enough character by that point in the movie that we knew trouble was here. We miss you, Mr. Caan.
I was frequently in Chicago on business in 1981. I loved the city. So, it was a real treat to see this film in the theater (at home). Of course, I was a fan of the leads but I saw that the film was different to others. This clip has helped me to understand how and why.
Mann said he was inspired while filming the Jericho Mile by meeting prisoners who had started to cope with their imprisonment by reading philosophy, including Marx
A good film with an excellent screenplay but a hole to it's center, the incredible naivete of its protagonist. He believes in honor among thrives, trusts a crime boss's promise that he can stop working for when he wants, which is doubly naive of him to believe after he allows himself to become indebted to said crime boss.
He wants an ideal instead of a relaity. True. His ideology is a cloak from the actual world we live in. There is no honor among thieves. He thinks a crime boss should be trusted? How naive can one be?
You try to apply the criminal element of Mann's film to a correlative of a capitalist system. In the legal world of business, one signs a contract for their labor, and if he is not paid, there is someone standing in the wings called a lawyer. Can one do this in the criminal world where agreements are dome on good faith? Frank is incredibly delusional in thinking that he can have a normal life with the business he is in in and the men he does business with.
Mann's filmography is so diverse you want crime noire you got thief and heat psychological thrillers manhunter and collateral historical epic last of the mohicans he can do it all
Caan's take on the character is that, since Frank's so determined/bull-headed to get what he wants, his next mission would be to recover everything he'd lost...perhaps including Jessie and their child.
The car dealership and cocktail bar that frank "owned" served purely as a laundering front for his actual revenue stream, i.e, the heist money. Probably organised for him by his criminal associates from the Chicago outfit in the first place. Whether he truly realised it or not is another matter.
Thanks for the video Matt! In real life french thief Redoine Faid was inpired by Mann's work end even met him in France. He even wrote a book about his life of burglaries and robberies called Outlaw. Best wishes from Brazil!
It's also Mann's most visually sumptuous fipms - never knew Mann was so much into neon hitting shiny cars and wet streets. Also,Refn so absurdly ripped off Thief right.doen to the title.font.
I think you could be imprinting your own beliefs (or some you've heard) about society onto the plot and characters (anti-capitalism, for instance). Frank's struggle "against the system" is really an internal struggle between what he knows and what he does. Real self-esteem comes from setting and achieving RATIONAL goals. To do that you must do so by rational means, and he isn't, he is stealing, and he knows this. Even if he doesn't say it, he knows his actions in the world are immoral. His treatment at the hands of the prison system is awful and heartbreaking, but in order to understand this we must see how such a system could come to exist. One of the few true roles of Government is to house prisoners, but in the world of this movie (1980's) Government is doing so much other stuff that it needn't in society that it doesn't do the jobs it is supposed to do properly. Frank's awful prison years are as a result of bad Government policy and priority. Frank has a dream, but he is pursuing it irrationally. Even if he reached it he wouldn't be happy. The societal systems we live in are created by ideas, and to a certain point perpetuated by us and our ideas.
