Thief

As a Michael Mann fan, it has been an enjoyable ride gradually making my way through his filmography, which plenty of highs and I was keen to seek out his first feature film, Thief. The man, if you pardon the pun, has released 12 feature films and started with this in 1981, and from the description alone you can tell he found his favourite genre for directing, and has been perfecting his craft ever since then. Let's just ignore Ferrari for the time being, shall we?

The story follows a professional, middle-aged thief who has a talent for cracking open safes in Illinois, and who has spent more than a few years of his life in prison. He has found a potential partner and hopes to leave the game behind but becomes caught in an offer he can't quire refuse from a shady businessman who promises him a job that will set-up nicely for retirement. 

I went into Thief knowing very little other than it featured James Caan in the leading role and that it came highly recommended from many reviewers if the conversation surrounding the film today is largely mute. But the film deserves a lot of recognition as you can see all the elements here that would go on to be perfected in Mann's work later on. It's quite clear that without Thief, we would not have Heat. 

To say a film by Mann is dark and gritty is almost redundant but there's no denying this is a very bleakly stylish film that carries an intensity to every scene. Caan would go on to consider this his very favourite performance and he is brilliant in the leading role here as Frank. He brings muscle and grit to the screen but also a sensitivity that keeps him human as we see Frank prepare for the heist while trying to keep his life together. 

Thief is a great crime drama and certainly worth watching for fans of Heat, the whole film holds-up very well today and the steady pacing never dragged over two hour running time. It seems Mann would face production problems in his second feature film but thankfully that didn't deter him from continuing to forge an excellent career.