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Thief (film)
Encyclopedia
Thief is a 1981 neo-noir
film written and directed by Michael Mann
and based on the novel The Home Invaders by "Frank Hohimer" (the pen name
of real-life jewel thief John Seybold
). The film's cast includes James Caan, Tuesday Weld
, James Belushi
, Robert Prosky
and Willie Nelson
.
and a car dealership
) as fronts for his very lucrative criminal enterprise, Frank sets out to fulfill the missing part of his dream: a family beginning with Jessie, a cashier he has begun seeing.
After taking down a major score, Frank's fence
is murdered. He finds out that the man responsible is a Mr. Attaglia, a shady plating company executive for whom the fence was working. Attaglia is in possession of money that belongs to Frank, who demands it back. This leads to a face-to-face meeting with Attaglia's employer, Leo, a high-level fence and Chicago Outfit
boss, who wants Frank to work for him, offering him "boxcar" profits.
Frank is reluctant at first, but wanting to make his dream come to fruition faster, he agrees to do just one job. Soon he is taking part in a large-scale West Coast
diamond
heist. With a little help from the paternal Leo, he is even able to purchase a baby on the black market, a son he names after his closest friend from prison, Okla (whose real name is David).
It all seems too good to be true. Frank's big payday finally comes, and he is expecting the agreed-upon sum of $380,000 and about $4 million worth of diamonds. Instead Leo hands him an envelope with about $70,000 or $80,000 and says he invested the rest of Frank's cut in shopping centers, an idea Frank had previously rejected. An irate Frank demands his money in 24 hours or there will be consequences.
Frank drives to his car lot to meet with his friend and associate Barry, unaware that Leo's henchmen are waiting for him. Frank is knocked unconscious and Barry is shot to death. Frank awakens with Leo staring down at him, surrounded by his henchmen. Leo coldly informs Frank that he, Jessie, their child, and everything Frank owns are Leo's property. Leo even threatens to prostitute Jessie and kill Frank's family if Frank does not continue in his work for him. Leo tells Frank to "tighten up" and focus on his responsibilities; meanwhile, his henchmen dispose of Barry's body.
Frank goes home and orders Jessie out, saying their marriage is over. He has an associate drive her and the baby somewhere where they cannot be found.
With nothing to lose, Frank blows up their house. He proceeds to drive around doing the same to his business establishments. He then breaks into Leo's house, beating up Attaglia and shooting Leo to death. As Frank walks outside, he is confronted by Attaglia and another of Leo's men. A gunfight ensues. The final scene is of a wounded Frank walking away into the night.
. His emotional several-minute monologue with Weld in a coffee shop
is often cited as the film's high point, and Caan has long considered the scene his favorite of his career. 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. Chief among these is the cinematography
, utilizing light and shadow to give the proceedings, especially those taking place in the darkness of night, a sense of danger. Mann has gained a reputation as a director on the cutting-edge when it comes to the music for his films. Thiefs moody soundscapes were composed and performed by Tangerine Dream
, providing the first of many notable film compositions they had in the 1980s. The film also earns plaudits for its meticulous attention to detail: the tools and techniques of the trade, right down to the oxy lance
used to penetrate a safe
, are authentic, the result of Mann's decision to hire real-life thieves to serve as technical advisers.
Thief marks the first film appearance of veteran actors Dennis Farina
, William Petersen
, James Belushi
and Robert Prosky
. At the time a Chicago police officer
, Farina appears as a henchman. Ironically, John Santucci, who plays the role of corrupt cop Urizzi, was a recently paroled thief and acted as a technical adviser on Thief. In 1986, Farina and Santucci both were cast in Michael Mann's TV series Crime Story
, Farina as a Chicago police lieutenant and Santucci as a jewel thief. Petersen, who later would star in the Mann film Manhunter
, appears briefly as a bouncer at a club.
Originally titled Violent Streets, the film debuted at the 34th Cannes Film Festival
. It went on to open in theaters in the United States on March 27, 1981, earning a modest $4.3 million. While not a financial success in its initial release, the film has become a reference point in Mann's career, especially with the release of his crime epic, Heat, with which this movie has many similarities.
The still of Frank holding a gun as he takes his fence hostage was used for one of the movie's posters.
Near the end of the film, Frank destroys his house. The film company built a false front onto a real house and attempted to destroy it with explosives. The explosions severely damaged the real house, however, leading to its demolition.
Neo-noir
Neo-noir is a style often seen in modern motion pictures and other forms that prominently utilize elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements or media that were absent in films noir of the 1940s and 1950s.-History:The term Film Noir was coined by...
film written and directed by Michael Mann
Michael Mann (film director)
Michael Kenneth Mann is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. For his work, he has received nominations from international organizations and juries, including those at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Cannes and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
and based on the novel The Home Invaders by "Frank Hohimer" (the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
of real-life jewel thief John Seybold
John Seybold (criminal)
John A. Seybold is an American former jewel thief who authored The Home Invaders: Confessions of a Cat Burglar under the pen name Frank Hohimer. The book was used as the basis for the 1981 film Thief, starring James Caan. As Hohimer, Seybold served as the technical advisor on the film's Chicago...
). The film's cast includes James Caan, Tuesday Weld
Tuesday Weld
Tuesday Weld is an American actress.Weld began her acting career as a child, and progressed to more mature roles during the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960...
, James Belushi
James Belushi
James Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
, Robert Prosky
Robert Prosky
Robert Prosky was an American stage, film, and television actor.-Life and career:Prosky, a Polish American, was born Robert Joseph Porzuczek in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Helen and Joseph Porzuczek. His father was a grocer and butcher...
and Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
.
Synopsis
Frank is an expert jewel thief and hard-boiled ex-convict with a set structure to his life. With a pair of successful Chicago businesses (a barBar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
and a car dealership
Car dealership
A car dealership or vehicle local distribution is a business that sells new or used cars at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. It employs automobile salespeople to do the selling...
) as fronts for his very lucrative criminal enterprise, Frank sets out to fulfill the missing part of his dream: a family beginning with Jessie, a cashier he has begun seeing.
After taking down a major score, Frank's fence
Fence (criminal)
A fence is an individual who knowingly buys stolen property for later resale, sometimes in a legitimate market. The fence thus acts as a middleman between thieves and the eventual buyers of stolen goods who may or may not be aware that the goods are stolen. As a verb, the word describes the...
is murdered. He finds out that the man responsible is a Mr. Attaglia, a shady plating company executive for whom the fence was working. Attaglia is in possession of money that belongs to Frank, who demands it back. This leads to a face-to-face meeting with Attaglia's employer, Leo, a high-level fence and Chicago Outfit
Chicago Outfit
The Chicago Outfit, also known as the Chicago Syndicate or Chicago Mob and sometimes shortened to simply the Outfit, is a crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois, USA...
boss, who wants Frank to work for him, offering him "boxcar" profits.
Frank is reluctant at first, but wanting to make his dream come to fruition faster, he agrees to do just one job. Soon he is taking part in a large-scale West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
heist. With a little help from the paternal Leo, he is even able to purchase a baby on the black market, a son he names after his closest friend from prison, Okla (whose real name is David).
It all seems too good to be true. Frank's big payday finally comes, and he is expecting the agreed-upon sum of $380,000 and about $4 million worth of diamonds. Instead Leo hands him an envelope with about $70,000 or $80,000 and says he invested the rest of Frank's cut in shopping centers, an idea Frank had previously rejected. An irate Frank demands his money in 24 hours or there will be consequences.
Frank drives to his car lot to meet with his friend and associate Barry, unaware that Leo's henchmen are waiting for him. Frank is knocked unconscious and Barry is shot to death. Frank awakens with Leo staring down at him, surrounded by his henchmen. Leo coldly informs Frank that he, Jessie, their child, and everything Frank owns are Leo's property. Leo even threatens to prostitute Jessie and kill Frank's family if Frank does not continue in his work for him. Leo tells Frank to "tighten up" and focus on his responsibilities; meanwhile, his henchmen dispose of Barry's body.
Frank goes home and orders Jessie out, saying their marriage is over. He has an associate drive her and the baby somewhere where they cannot be found.
With nothing to lose, Frank blows up their house. He proceeds to drive around doing the same to his business establishments. He then breaks into Leo's house, beating up Attaglia and shooting Leo to death. As Frank walks outside, he is confronted by Attaglia and another of Leo's men. A gunfight ensues. The final scene is of a wounded Frank walking away into the night.
Cast
- James CaanJames CaanJames Caan is an American actor. He is best known for his starring roles in The Godfather, Thief, Misery, A Bridge Too Far, Brian's Song, Rollerball, Kiss Me Goodbye, Elf, and El Dorado...
- Frank - Tuesday WeldTuesday WeldTuesday Weld is an American actress.Weld began her acting career as a child, and progressed to more mature roles during the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcomer in 1960...
- Jessie - Willie NelsonWillie NelsonWillie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
- Okla - James BelushiJames BelushiJames Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
- Barry - Robert ProskyRobert ProskyRobert Prosky was an American stage, film, and television actor.-Life and career:Prosky, a Polish American, was born Robert Joseph Porzuczek in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Helen and Joseph Porzuczek. His father was a grocer and butcher...
- Leo - Tom Signorelli - Attaglia
- Dennis FarinaDennis FarinaDennis Farina is an American actor of film and television and former Chicago police officer. He is a character actor, often typecast as a mobster or police officer. His most known film roles are those of mobster Jimmy Serrano in the comedy Midnight Run and Ray "Bones" Barboni in Get Shorty...
- Carl - Nick Nickeas - Nick
- W.R. Bill Brown - Mitch
- Norm Tobin - Guido
- William PetersenWilliam PetersenWilliam Louis Petersen is an American actor and producer, best known for playing Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom on the hit CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He portrayed President John F...
- Katz / Jammer Bartender - John Santucci - Urizzi
- Gavin MacFadyen - Boreksco
- Chuck AdamsonChuck AdamsonCharles Fredrick "Chuck" Adamson was an American retired police officer who became a television producer and screen writer. He was best known for creating the television crime drama Crime Story, for which he won a People's Choice Award, and for writing episodes of Miami Vice...
- Ancell - Sam Cirone - Martello
- Spero Anast - Bukowski
Production
Caan also served as the film's co-producerFilm producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
. His emotional several-minute monologue with Weld in a coffee shop
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
is often cited as the film's high point, and Caan has long considered the scene his favorite of his career. 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. Chief among these is the cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
, utilizing light and shadow to give the proceedings, especially those taking place in the darkness of night, a sense of danger. Mann has gained a reputation as a director on the cutting-edge when it comes to the music for his films. Thiefs moody soundscapes were composed and performed by Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
, providing the first of many notable film compositions they had in the 1980s. The film also earns plaudits for its meticulous attention to detail: the tools and techniques of the trade, right down to the oxy lance
Thermal lance
A thermal lance, thermic lance, oxygen lance, or burning bar is a tool that burns iron in the presence of pressurized oxygen to create very high temperatures for cutting. It consists of a long iron tube packed with iron rods, sometimes mixed with aluminium or magnesium rods to increase the heat...
used to penetrate a safe
Safe
A safe is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or damage. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face removable or hinged to form a door. The body and door may be cast from metal or formed out of plastic through blow molding...
, are authentic, the result of Mann's decision to hire real-life thieves to serve as technical advisers.
Thief marks the first film appearance of veteran actors Dennis Farina
Dennis Farina
Dennis Farina is an American actor of film and television and former Chicago police officer. He is a character actor, often typecast as a mobster or police officer. His most known film roles are those of mobster Jimmy Serrano in the comedy Midnight Run and Ray "Bones" Barboni in Get Shorty...
, William Petersen
William Petersen
William Louis Petersen is an American actor and producer, best known for playing Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom on the hit CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He portrayed President John F...
, James Belushi
James Belushi
James Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
and Robert Prosky
Robert Prosky
Robert Prosky was an American stage, film, and television actor.-Life and career:Prosky, a Polish American, was born Robert Joseph Porzuczek in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Helen and Joseph Porzuczek. His father was a grocer and butcher...
. At the time a Chicago police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
, Farina appears as a henchman. Ironically, John Santucci, who plays the role of corrupt cop Urizzi, was a recently paroled thief and acted as a technical adviser on Thief. In 1986, Farina and Santucci both were cast in Michael Mann's TV series Crime Story
Crime Story (TV series)
Crime Story is an NBC TV drama created by Gustave Reininger and Chuck Adamson. The executive producer was Michael Mann, who had left Miami Vice to oversee Crime Story and direct the film Manhunter. The show premiered with a two hour pilot — a movie which had been exhibited theatrically —...
, Farina as a Chicago police lieutenant and Santucci as a jewel thief. Petersen, who later would star in the Mann film Manhunter
Manhunter (film)
Manhunter is a 1986 American thriller film based on Thomas Harris's novel Red Dragon. Written and directed by Michael Mann, it stars William Petersen as Will Graham and features Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecktor...
, appears briefly as a bouncer at a club.
Originally titled Violent Streets, the film debuted at the 34th Cannes Film Festival
1981 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Jacques Deray *Ellen Burstyn *Jean-Claude Carrière *Robert Chazal *Attilio D'Onofrio *Christian Defaye *Carlos Diegues *Antonio Gala...
. It went on to open in theaters in the United States on March 27, 1981, earning a modest $4.3 million. While not a financial success in its initial release, the film has become a reference point in Mann's career, especially with the release of his crime epic, Heat, with which this movie has many similarities.
The still of Frank holding a gun as he takes his fence hostage was used for one of the movie's posters.
Near the end of the film, Frank destroys his house. The film company built a false front onto a real house and attempted to destroy it with explosives. The explosions severely damaged the real house, however, leading to its demolition.