THIEF (1981) Review

            We now know where Michael Mann’s infatuation with thieves began. He loves them so much that they usually play the protagonist or as close as they can get to one. His feature film debut Thief (1981), starring James Caan, is an interesting precursor to Heat (1995) and Public Enemies (2009), Mann’s subsequent heist thrillers that owe much of their refinedness to his sprawling, yet explosive debut.
Of course the thief (James Caan) is a flawed, yet misunderstood individual who is the absolute best at stealing, similar to De Niro’s Neil McCauley in Heat and Depp’s Dillinger in Public Enemies.

            Thief, in its best moments is a neo-noir thriller stylizing complex heists in a sleek and suspenseful manner set to a dark and unpredictable city night.  The film’s opening sequence introduces us to Frank (James Caan) and what exactly it is he does for a living and, even more so, for fun: stealing diamonds.  Each heist scene, one in the opening and one near the end, shows the complex and industrial nature of taking a big score.  Simply put, there is a lot of loud, big-ass drills, sparks, fire, and cool protective goggles. Adding to the film’s industrial theme is the synth-heavy score by German electronic group Tangerine Dream.  Not only does the score drive the action scenes, but it also carries dramatic scenes to a high point. The explicit attention to detail via close-ups of drills drilling and locks unlocking (among other things), as well as the process itself make the heist experience all the more impressive. (Mann hired actual thieves as consultants on set.)   

When not stealing, Thief shifts focus to Frank’s personal life and his attempt to achieve his version of the “American Dream”, which is condensed into a postcard-sized picture collage of children, a new car, a house, and his imprisoned best friend Okla (Willie Nelson) that he carries in his back pocket. Frank, like his successors McCauley and Dillinger, is a mentally complicated, yet very gifted thief unwilling, or unable, to change his lifestyle.  However, Frank has almost zero redeeming qualities.  He is angry, mean, vulgar, and stupid (he misspells “male” on an adoption application and later says “electeded” rather than elected.) But why should we like him? He is a criminal after all. Frank’s stubborn, go-against-the-grain personality interestingly juxtaposes the age of technological advancement he is immersed in and is so dependent on. On the other hand, Frank’s entrepreneurial prowess (he owns a car dealership and a bar) parallels the beginning of the Reagan administration of the 1980’s.

However, we do see Frank’s gentle side, which is where the typically hotheaded James Caan is at his best.  The diner scene in which Frank persuades Jessie (Tuesday Weld) to marry him conveys a dynamic outpouring of emotion about the ideal American Dream, wasted time, and fear – all complex emotions for a seemingly simple character on the surface.

As advertised Thief is as a neo-noir styled production that explores the suspenseful nature of big score heists, driven by an ever-present industrial motif evidenced in the tools necessary for the heist, electronic music, and large city setting.  Thief’s influences are clearly apparent in Mann’s later work, and also other films in the crime thriller genre, such as Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive (2011) starring Ryan Gosling (see opening sequence). And despite its focus on technology and action, Thief, and James Caan specifically, are able to tap into deeper, complex personal emotions than any later Mann-directed heist film.

4/5