There is some decent, even thought-provoking dialogue in Thief, a 1981 semi-action production that has James Caan’s name all over it. He’s a tough guy, he’s a thief, he steals diamonds, he steals a heart, and he never escapes the murk of real life.
Truth to tell, the heartfelt conversations between Frank (Caan) and his obviously lovely wife, Jessie (Tuesday Weld), aren’t enough to carry the viewer through the credibly staged but wholly predictable action.
Some critics think Thief (1981, rated R, 123 minutes) is a neo-noir movie, but I think it’s 30 years too late and too little for that label. There’s a fair amount of nighttime in the film, but there’s not much convincing noir.
The ending scenes have too many bullets and a lot of bravado and not enough bravura and an absence of brilliance.
Caan is intense and Weld is a fair lady. The bad guys are unmistakable.
If you watch the movie a second time, you remember everything.
