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James Caan gives a scenery-chewing performance as the film’s titular thief, Frank. Heightening the neo noir style of Thief’s cinematography, the film’s screenplay is tense, gritty, and smart. Thief was Mann’s’ directorial debut, but it is shot with confidence & style that makes it feel like a precursor to his later films Heat, Manhunter, and Collateral.
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Mann knows how to make a damn good thriller and is helped tremendously by Thorin’s dark, brooding images. Heavy praise for this effect should go to both director Michael Mann and cinematographer Donald Thorin. With Scarface & Die Hard several years away, the film’s violence, antihero protagonist, highly stylized cinematography, and overall bleakness are pretty revolutionary for 1981. The film’s score isn’t the only thing that feels ahead of its time.
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While not fashionable at the time (the film was nominated for a Razzie for Worst Musical Score), the moody soundtrack has an 80’s John Carpenter/Goblin vibe that has thankfully become trendy again and utilized in recent films such as Drive and The Guest. Tangerine Dream’s score, with its layered soundscapes and pulsating synths is one of the first aspects of the film that jumps out at you. Thief follows professional safecracker Frank as he agrees to do one last high-risk diamond heist for the Mafia. With the recent passing of Edgar Froese, founding member of influential German electronic band Tangerine Dream, it seemed appropriate to revisit one of the first films the band scored: the hardboiled crime thriller Thief. “I am the last guy in the world that you want to fuck with.”