© 2022 Film Score Monthly. All Rights Reserved. I keep meaning to have it properly matted and framed but haven't gotten to it yet. I have a beautiful signed photo of Caan and Weld in that diner in my collection. I know the film has a LOT of fans on this board. A friend recommended it to me almost 20 years ago and it fast became one of my favorite movies. Its as quotable as Pulp Fiction - memorable lines every few minutes - and a brilliantly lizard performance by Robert Protsky in his premiere. Thief is one of the best movies of the 80s. I love the seen Caan's lawyer and the Judge negotiate with there finger the price to get Okla out of jail. " He also needs to move fast to get his mentor, Okla (Willie Nelson), out of prison before the old convict's heart condition takes him down for good." I did not know there was a Razzie for that. This says that Thief was nominated for a Razzie for Worst Score of the year. They made quite a few not very good scores. This is an interesting, somewhat long piece on TG. Thief is one of the films cited in this 8 minute visual essay about the look and use of synths in 80s movies: On The Criterion Blu-ray, (an impeccable 4-k scan b.t.w.), there are very deep blacks which showcases the florescent neon lights and sparks emitted by drills used in the film. Indeed it is Mark! I failed to mention the 'look' of this film by the Director of Photography, Donald Thorin. The TG score mostly works, some of the electric sizzle is occasionally over the top, but it is fine. It is efficient and well shot and well acted. It is the kind of compact, hard edged crafted film that used to be fairly common in the 70's and 80's. I think a lot of people have never seen it. It bridges the grit and naturalness of 1970s cinema with the flashier imagery of the 1980s. The totally immersive, hypnotic, score by Tangerine Dream is wonderful! However, this is (for me), Actor James Caan's best performance he walks away with it and he owns this film! I finally found a Criterion Blu-ray edition on E-Bay (it was out of print), and viewed it again the other night and it was no fluke, the film is some sort of American Masterpiece. Their conversation and the chemistry between them is absolutely believable these two performers 'click' onscreen. However, there is this long, detailed conversation between co-stars James Caan and Tuesday Weld which takes place inside a Diner that is a marvel to watch. Tangerine Dream added their patented pulses, blips and whooshes to the films highly stylized visual scenes. The band was chosen by Michael Mann to write and produce the original score for Thief, his 1981 directorial debut. I won't go into the story of the film because after 40 years, most people have seen it already. Tangerine Dream is among the most successful electronic groups of all time. I viewed it on The Criterion Channel several weeks ago and was blown-away by the film. I think that, (unreasonably), I got it mixed up in my head with another James Caan film, 'The Gambler'.
Thief 1981 movie movie#
I had never before seen this 40 year old movie from Director Michael Mann. Non-Film Score Discussion: 'THIEF', 1981, (A new appreciation) FSM Board: 'THIEF', 1981, (A new appreciation) A highly skilled jewel thief, Frank (James Caan) longs to leave his dangerous trade and settle down with his girlfriend, Jessie (Tuesday Weld).