Thief [4K UHD]

Studio: The Criterion Collection

Apr 14, 2025 Web Exclusive By Zachary Lee Photography by The Criterion Collection

Few directors can claim a directorial debut as kinetic and pulse-pounding as Michael Mann. His 1981 film Thief, recently re-released in 4K UHD by the Criterion Collection, is not only one of the best thrillers crafted, but it comes as a fully-formed project, whose world and characters are fleshed out. It contains many of the director’s trademarks–from detail-obsessed aces at the top of their craft, city streets that seem cursed with unworldly darkness and men torn between love and their earnest vocations–it can be easy to forget that this is his directorial debut. It’s a film free from the trappings that usually befall nascent directors and, in many ways, it serves as a calling card for Mann and a summation of his work as an artist. In 12 features, he’s displayed the same ardor, focus and dedication to his craft of movie-making; it’s a gift to remember that, regardless of what he does next (like the still-gestating Heat 2), it all began with Thief.

Thief follows Frank (the late James Caan), an ex-con who runs a modest car dealership business during the day but in his nocturnal hours, comes alive for his true vocation: safe cracking. He’s exact and steely about what he does, but it’s not for vainglory or even pride. He hopes that cracking only a handful of more safes for a crime boss Leo (Robert Prosky) will be enough for him to escape to a life of peace and quiet with Jessie (Tuesday Weld), a waitress. Caan and Weld light up the screen whenever they’re combatively flirting; the culmination of that is during a standout sequence, at a diner, where the two share their dreams and hopes. During that scene, you get the sense this is the first time they’ve ever felt seen and held in the gaze of another; in the context of the film itself, it’s a grace note and pause before the film turns perniciously (but not inappropriately) violent. Quitting a job like Frank’s is never easy, and it doesn’t help that the ever-ambitious safe cracker’s appetite eclipses his abilities. Sure enough, he finds himself in a trap of double-crosses and conspiracy that requires him to put his skills not just towards a big score but to save his own life.

Mann has always been one to make the city that he’s shooting in a character; he certainly does the same for Chicago and Los Angeles here. It’s the reason why this 4K UHD release is an essential pick-up–to better see the lighting and visuals that help flesh out these cities as their characters. There’s a potency to the film’s metallic colors, which sparkle with all the ostentatiousness and vibrancy of a coveted diamond. What was once just wet city streets are now roads that seem draped with an almost sinister moisture, while the light that beams off of car hoods blind (not in a distracting way), as if to underscore the theme that the flashiness of Frank’s lifestyle comes at a cost of security and visibility.

While the image is significantly heightened, the extras won’t be new for those who have the Criterion Collection’s previous release. While that may be disappointing to some, it’s a case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The 1995 commentary track featuring Mann and Caan is included, along with separate interviews conducted in 2013 with Caan, Mann and musician Johannes Schmoelling. Critic Nick James’ essay is excellent, one that situates Thief in the context of Mann’s work prior; when read, it acts as a sort of literary prelude to the poetry of violence, sensuality and grit we see in the film itself. James writes “In Thief, all of these pivotal ideas and moments are finely woven into one man’s dilemma, whereas they are divided among many character arcs in Mann’s other works. … It’s a singular achievement by a director who’s hitting on his best ideas while in transition …from being under the influence of his forebears to bringing his creative influence to bear on his times.”

If one views Mann’s filmography as this journey of transition, where the director flits between genres, periods, and storied collaborators, then Thief can be read as the spark that ignited the powder keg of his creative ambitions, a microbiome and distillation of his most endearingly chaotic sensibilities.

(www.criterion.com/films/28024-thief)

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