James Caan died about a month ago. Soon after I saw a few film people I respect on Twitter talking about Thief (1981). I'd never heard of it, but learned it's supposedly one of Caan's best lead performances. A few days ago I discovered it on Prime and decided to hit play.
Thief is a thriller from the 80's. It's set in the then current day and it entirely looks and feels like something from that time. Caan is the lead and he plays, you guessed it, a thief. The film was directed by Michael Mann (also known for Manhunter (1986), Last of the Mohicans (1992), Heat (1995) and more) at the very beginning of an impressive directorial run. His stylish, intense style, a repeated hallmark of his films, is here already well-developed.
Besides the style, Thief also has an efficient, well-crafted story. I greatly liked the opening scene that introduces us to Caan's main character and his partners-in-crime. Frank (that's Caan) is almost immediately drilling a safe while two others keep a lookout on the street and on the phone lines. I've seen quite a few safes or vaults cracked in crime movies but I don't think I've seen one like this. Frank takes is slow, feeling how far into the door he's gone. Once through he grabs a hammer and long screwdriver (or chisel?) and knocks out the locking mechanism inside of the door so he can open it. There were cool shots of the drill working and a fun zooming in on the hole he created, all giving a much more intimate look at the work of an expert. When it's open he throws most of the stuff aside, he's only interested in cash and diamonds, and only a few minutes later he's out the door. The heavy equipment is dropped in one vehicle then he and his primary partner (Jim Belushi of all people, in his film debut) leave separately. They drive to a tiny, nondescript garage and ditch one car for another before finally wrapping up their night-work. We learn a few things in this almost wordless scene, namely that Frank is extremely capable, smart and careful. All the little details thought through by the thieves, and shown by the director, establish a ton in a short amount of time.
After that you might think, at times, it's a little cliche. Frank has done well for himself, he's made money stealing and owns a used car lot with (I believe) high-end models. But he wants out of the life and finds a woman to marry and settle down with. The job at the beginning results in a connection with the mob, who can offer bigger scores than ever and assistance in getting set up. He's fiercely independent and skeptical about getting in bed with them but also sees an opportunity to do one last job and be done. Maybe he's being a little naive, that's up to you to decide. Working with a crime-lord leads to newfound attention from the cops, who probably only want a payoff, but that's not Frank's style. He's going to operate his own way and nothing will stop him.
There were a couple things I really liked about this movie. First you get to see how great James Caan was as an actor. Everything I'd seen him in before was as supporting cast: largely Sonny in the Godfather (1972) and Buddy's dad in Elf (2003). His screen presence was apparent regardless of role but here, as an alpha, his stardom is clear. Frank is a total asshole but he knows what he wants, knows he can get it by doing what he knows best and goes for it, no holds barred. When there's a problem he'll take care of it himself, whatever it takes, everyone else be damned. For Caan it's a perfect role.
Second, I've enjoyed basically everything I've seen from Michael Mann (esp the three movies listed above) and this is no exception. Thief sets the stakes, sucks you in and takes you for a ride. The synthesized music repeatedly bumps up the intensity even before the real action starts and it's downright nerve-wracking at times. Overall it's a tight two hours and a lot of fun, especially the last ~15 minutes. Who doesn't love seeing a cornered man go completely scorched-earth?
The point is it did indeed turn out to be a great film. Check if out if you want to see Caan as a lead or something you maybe missed from a skilled director. I doubt you'll regret it.
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