Two Cents is an original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team will program films and contribute our best, most insightful, or most creative thoughts on each film using a maximum of 200 words each. Guest writers and fan comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future entries to the column. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion.
The Pick
This week we take a look at Thief (1981), the amazingly polished and mature debut film from Michael Mann, not counting television productions. The film is an emotional showcase for James Caan, who plays our antihero, an expert safecracker named Frank who has accumulated wealth but dreams of a better life and a family to share it with. The film recently made its way to Criterion Blu-ray and DVD.
We actually covered Mann’s next film, 1983’s The Keep, in a prior edition of Two Cents. Both films feature amorphous electronic scores by Tangerine Dream, giving them a unique sound and overall texture. With stylistic similarities but wildly different settings and stories, they make for an interesting pair of first films.
Did you get a chance to watch along with us this week? Want to recommend a great (or not so great) film for the whole gang to cover? Comment below or post on our Facebook or hit us up on Twitter!
Next Week’s Pick:
Next week’s pick is Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes. As his last British film before moving to Hollywood, it might be considered the end of the lesser-known first half of his career, which spanned some two dozen films.
Would you like to be a guest in next week’s Two Cents column? Simply watch and send your under-200-word review to twocents(at)cinapse.co!
The Team
Brendan:As cold and precise as the man at its center, Thief is a well-orchestrated crime procedural melded with a jet-black character study. While the film’s legacy is largely based around the riveting extended heist sequences, most playing out with hardly a word of dialogue, equally important to the success of the film is James Caan’s work as the titular crook. Like a character in a Bruce Springsteen song, Caan is trying to claw his way to salvation through sin, and Mann is merciless as he brings every wrong deed back down upon his hero’s head in the final stretch of the film.
I do think there’s a little bit of cognitive dissonance in the way the film treats Caan, though. Mann wants to call him out on every hypocritical and short-sighted mistake, yes, but I also think Mann can’t help but find this guy to be cool as shit. He can’t help but admire the precision Caan applies to his life and crimes, which leaves the film’s final point of view a little confused.
But there’s no denying the sheer, enthralling craft of Thief, nor how engaging and ultimately heartbreaking it is. Good stuff all around. (@TheTrueBrendanF)
Liam:I am on a shitload of cold medication so maybe I am being overly hyperbolic when I say not only is Thief my favorite Michael Mann film but perhaps one of my top films of the 80s. The film is oozing with style, but never over plays its aesthetic. Every shot, every guitar lick, every moody shift from Caan is in service to story and character. It plays so well, propelling this story of redemption gone wrong in such a way that even as it takes its time, I am on the edge of my seat. I want Caan’s Frank to win so bad, I want him to walk away on top, I want this to be some ridiculous sappy tale of love. Of course it isn’t, and even as my dreams as well as Franks are dashed, it feels so right. When it is time for Frank to deal with things, it feels like exactly what needs to happen. Has anything so disappointing ever felt so satisfying?
(@liamrulz)
Austin:In one sense, Thief is a story which has been done many times. An aging criminal commits to one last big heist, the one that will make him rich so he can settle down and enjoy a normal life. It may be a familiar story, but it’s told impressively. James Caan embodies antihero Frank with humanity and empathy. Ha may be a thief, but even so he lives by a code. Fiercely independent, doesn’t pay off crooked cops or take orders from big time gangsters, and those high ideals get him into trouble.
I’m kind of astonished at how a first-time feature director has so many known actors in his film, but that’s just hindsight. Neither Robert Prosky, Jim Belushi, nor Dennis Farina were well-known entities in 1981. Still, it says a lot for the casting choices. (@VforVashaw)
Ed:I didn’t re-watch Thief with the team this week, so I wasn’t planning to contribute. But I’d like to weigh in on why. I adore Michael Mann, and while I haven’t seen Thief in probably over a decade… I simply couldn’t bring myself to watch this film via streaming options. Thief has received a recent Criterion Blu-ray release which is by all accounts outstanding. And most of my memories of the film are those of the visual and aural variety, which is exactly why I had to abstain this time around. The Thief Criterion Blu-ray is just within my reach with Christmas around the corner. If a family member doesn’t buy it for me via my Amazon Wish List, it’ll likely be the first disc I pick up with any kind of gift card I might receive. I’m so close to finally seeing this, one of my most anticipated Blu-ray viewings. And streaming simply wasn’t going to cut it. Recently I’ve been frustrated by the quality of my streaming experiences and clinging even more loyally to high def physical media. Maybe I’m getting old, but I want my next Thief experience to be flawless, and streaming can’t promise me that. (@Ed_Travis)
Our Guests
Rockie Juarez:Perfect. Aged very, very well. Buy the Blu. Now. (@RockieWarAntz)
Filmcat:I’d heard this movie was about a cat burglar but it appears there was some kind of miscommunication. It’s actually about a hairless biped who steals what appear to be Fresh Step Crystals kitty litter. While this is indeed a premium litter, I’m not sure why he risks his life for a street value is $15 a bag.
The reason that the biped Liam (one of the few human names my species can pronounce) finds this film so compelling is that he shares a highly unusual trait with its protagonist. Both avoid using contractions. No, really, it’s true. Caan mentions this specific practice in his interview on the Criterion Blu-ray as a way of enhancing his character’s speech, and if you read any of Liam’s articles you’ll see that he subconsciously does the same thing. Well, not subconsciously now. (Filmcat)
Did you all get a chance to watch along with us? Share your thoughts with us here in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook!