Review of Thief (1981) by Thomas B — 06 May 2018

****.

Michael Mann's impressive debut 'Thief' just oozes coolness. From the opening scene, we immediately get a sense of what kind of a filmmaker Mann is going to be for the next 30 years plus. The film has got some typically great dialogue exchanges and many memorable moments sprinkled throughout what is a slightly overlong running time. The story itself is nothing that jumps out at you but, much like 'Drive' - of which this film has been compared to numerous times - it's more about the execution than the concept. James Caan is also really great here, as a man constantly on edge from a life of crime, who feels like he could just snap at any second. What with this and 'To Live and Die in L.A.', I feel like I'm seeing a lot of highly influential, yet relatively low concept films. Both have fantastic visual and auditory aesthetics, that just perfectly capture the 1980s, and both have influenced modern culture more than we care to admit. Not just films, but music and video games - this especially could have been a film adaptation of a GTA game some of the time - the music, aesthetic and plot are practically designed for it. Both of these movies are far more about mood and atmosphere than they are about story - but just because they're not some kind of deep, thoughtful character study or a meditation on the meaning of life, doesn't mean they are any less impressive. In many ways, I actually think they're more impressive, for the mark of a truly great film is one that manages to leave you with a distinct, unique feeling afterwards.