| | | | Thief
(1981) |
efore his days as executive producer of the hit TV dramas "Miami Vice" and "Crime Story", Michael Mann co-wrote, produced and directed this compelling tale of a professional Windy City thief who is torn between a life of crime and a steady relationship with his girlfriend.
Frank (Caan) is a car salesman by day and a safecracker by night. He knows what it's like to be a thief, and has his $800 suits and expert skills to prove it. But he is tiring of this lifestyle and wanting to start a new life.
There are two important figures in Frank's life: his ailing friend Okla (Nelson, in a brief but strong role), who wants to escape from prison because he doesn't want to die there, and his love interest Jessie (Weld), to whom he wants to marry and have children with.
Problem is Frank cannot adopt because he is an ex-con (he had previously spent 11 years in prison for one of his big heists). So what does he do? He makes a deal with mafia kingpin Leo (Prosky) to help him out in exchange for an agreement to pull off a huge bank robbery with Frank's sidekick Barry (Belushi) along for the ride.
The heist is a success but Frank wants to quit soon after, much to Leo's objection, he is now stuck between a rock and a hard place as Leo and his gang deliver death threats to him and his family, and the situation forces Frank to make a decision...
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Thief was sadly overlooked upon it's release in the spring of 1981. I think it's one of the greatest crime thrillers ever made.
Caan, Weld, Nelson and especially Belushi all have solid roles and Michael Mann's stylish direction was a sign of things to come and has made him a gifted filmmaker ever since.
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Based on the novel "The Home Invaders" by Frank Hohimer, a professional thief himself. 
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Also known as "Violent Streets" in some countries, "Thief" opened March 27, 1981. Even though it was critically favored, it did not do well at the box office, grossing only $4.3 million. But it was a starting point for Michael Mann's directorial career.
Along with William Petersen and Dennis Farina, the film also marked the debuts of Jim Belushi and Robert Prosky. Chuck Adamson, who was Dennis Farina's partner in the Chicago PD Major Crimes Unit, appears as a Chicago police officer. -Thanks to Cubs_fan
This was Dennis Farina's (Saving Private Ryan, Get Shorty) film debut. He was still a Chicago police detective at the time. In addition, many real-life thieves and police officers in the Chicago area were advisors to Mann and some were even cast in supporting roles.
Dennis Farina and William L. Petersen both make appearances in this movie (Farina as one of Prosky's henchmen and Petersen as a local bartender). They would later both star in Mann's "Manhunter" in 1986, the same year that Farina would also play the lead on Mann's TV prime-time serial Crime Story.
Dennis Farina's partner in the movie was Nick Nickeas who along with several of his own family members are real Chicago police officers. -Thanks to Chris H.
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Find much more great trivia in the filmmaker's commentary on the Thief DVD.
Rediscover your favorites! If you like
Thief or 80's Thriller classics, then be sure to
check out this list: ..... Hitcher ..... WarGames ..... Christine ..... Against All Odds ..... Blue Velvet ..... 8 Million Ways To Die ..... To Live and Die in L.A. ..... Fear City ..... Pulse ..... No Way Out ..... Blow Out ..... Class of 1984 ..... Contraband ..... Body Double ..... Firestarter .....[More]
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The exploding house scene was supposed to only explode the fake facade built by the film crew but instead the real house which was standing behind the fake facade also caught fire. The homeowner was generously overpaid for the cost of a new home and was put up in a fancy hotel.
A stickler for authenticity, Mann insisted that Caan wear a very expensive, 24-karat watch in Thief. The production company was about to dispatch a courier to Zurich to pick up one from the manufacturer, when a Chicago jeweller heard about it and offered to loan the watch to Mann.
The real "thief" was a man named John Seybold. He was the technical advisor on the set of the movie in Chicago while being sought after by the FBI for many robberies. -Thanks to Gary Cohn
The opening scene of the safe cracking is real. Mann had some real life safe crackers teach James Caan how to do it for the movie. That is Caan really opening a locked safe.
A combat pistol master named Jeff Cooper trained Caan and Mann. So it is no surprise that the way Caan "sweeps" the house at the end is very accurate for a trained gunfighter. -Thanks to Michael Corcoran
The bar that Frank, James Caan blows up is called the Green Mill. It is a famous Chicago Jazz bar located on Broadway and Lawrence, and is still thriving today. -Thanks to Greg Jacobson
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|  |  |  | | Thief
Locations |
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The house exploding scene was filmed on the 2900 block of west Catalpa Ave. [Thanks to Chris H]
Can you help? Do you know any of the Chicago, Illinois filming locations used for Thief? [Please send them in]
|  | | | | ![[Letterbox -NOT 16:9 Enhanced]](lbx.gif) | ![[5.1 CH SURROUND]](dd5.gif) | Trailer, Commentary, OutTakes |
| | | | Trailer |
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Tangerine Dream's stylish soundtrack score really catapaults the film from beginning to end. Ony recently made available on CD. Don't miss this re-release.
Track listing:
1. Beach Theme
2. Dr. Destructo
3. Diamond Diary
4. Burning Bar
5. Scrap Yard
6. Trap Feeling
7. Igneous
8. Confrontation
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Soundtrack Available:
On CD
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