(Originally posted on 7/5/98 in
Compuserve's Video Home Theater Forum)
In "Thief", James Caan plays what
could easily be mistaken for the perfect self-made 1980's entrepreneur.
He owns several Chicago businesses, including a used car dealership,
a bar, and some laundromats. He dresses sharp, but casually, mixing
Giorgio Armani blazers with jeans and cowboy boots. He drives
a handsome black Cadillac Eldorado.
However, the bulk of Frank's income does not come from those businesses
which are visible to the general public. They come from
his skills as a master jewel thief, a man who can break into any
bank safe, no matter how big or heavily guarded, and only steals
uncut diamonds or cash. He's the absolute best at what he does,
and he acts alone, with only two members of his "crew"
for support and surveillance (one of whom is played by James Belushi,
in his first film role).
A few years after directing "Thief", Michael Mann was
the executive producer of "Miami Vice" for NBC. In many
ways, Thief was the prototype for the oft-imitated look that Mann
developed for "Vice". The day-for-night, always watered-down
streets, with close-up shots of black automobiles tear-assing
down them, the expensive Italian wardrobe, the attention to detail
of both police and criminal activities, are all visible here.
However, unlike the surrealistic (and occasionally silly) "Miami
Vice", there's not a false moment in "Thief". Indeed,
it's almost documentary in its approach: The book it was based
on was written by a thief who was still doing time when the film
debuted, the technical advisors to the film were an ex cop and
an ex jewel thief, the props were real (and mostly supplied by
the ex jewel thief), and the locations are almost all authentic
Chicago and Los Angeles areas where the film is set in.
James Caan's performance as Frank is what makes this film work. It's an astonishing bit of acting, by a vastly underrated actor. (At one point on the audio commentary, Caan describes a seemingly simple scene with Tuesday Weld and his character talking in a diner as the high point of his then twenty years as an actor.) A few months ago, I reviewed MGM's DVD release of "Rollerball". It's fascinating to compare Caan's performance in that film with "Thief". In "Rollerball", Caan plays a professional athlete, a quiet, soft-spoken, but intensely driven professional at the height of his game. He squints with the eyes of man who must see danger all around him, both on the Rollerball track, and from the corporate executives who actually run the game.
Caan's character, Frank, in "Thief"
is a professional of a different type. He's at the height
of game as a master jewel thief, but he's only been out of jail
for a few years, at the most. His eyes often seem to bulge
out of their sockets, and he speaks with a combination of extremely
precise diction, with *no* contractions, alternating with loads
of profanity when he's angered. (Caan and Mann spend lots of time
explaining how they developed the character on the alternate audio
track on the DVD.)
MGM's recently released DVD of "Thief" is a far cry
from the VHS version that's been out for over a decade. The two
biggest improvements are in letterboxing the image (approximately
1:85 to 1), which shows off Mann's precise compositions and lighting,
and the sound, which has been remixed into a crisp tightness,
which really brings out many subtle aspects of Tangerine Dream's
haunting electronic score.
This is not a perfect DVD, however. The picture
looks rather soft. I ended up turning the sharpness control of
my television set through the roof. Another flaw is that
Mann and Caan's audio commentary on track two is cut off as the
film runs out. Why not simply fade to black and end the
DVD when they're done talking?
For me, what's so alluring about "Thief" is that Caan
is portraying, in precise detail, a character that I could never
be in a million years. I've never even been in a jail, let
alone done hard time. I could never drill through 18"
of steel with an white-hot 8000 degree flaming burn bar, or tangle
with corrupt cops who want a piece of my action. What's amazing
is that Caan makes Frank sympathetic, without making him watered
down. You firmly believe that Frank has done time, knows
every aspect of his business as a thief inside and out.
And the realism of the film allows you to identify with, and sympathize
for, a character who you would *not* want to meet with in real
life.
"Thief" is certainly worth buying if you're a "Miami
Vice" junkie, an fan of crime dramas, or if simply to see
an masterful actor at the top of his craft. While it's far from
a perfect disc, it's a film which can be watched, listened and
analyzed (especially with Caan and Mann's audio commentary) over
and over again.
© 1998, Edward B. Driscoll, Jr.
All rights reserved