a review of 大盗独行

Let me start by stating that I'm a Michael Mann fan, ever since I was addicted to his classic Miami Vice series as a boy. In 1995 his magnum opus Heat rocketed into my all-time favorite movies list. Thief was a pleasant discovery to me, and felt like an early blueprint for Heat, with some clear Scorsese influences. In short, Thief is about a skilled safe cracker who is seduced to perform a big cracking job for a heavy mob boss. James Caan is perfectly cast as the badass safe cracker, James Belushi is his solid sidekick, Tangerine Dream's accompanying electronic bass tones are delicious, and you gotta love Michael Mann's atmospheric aesthetics. Brightly colored street lights reflecting in car paint, beautiful screen compositions, the works. My only complaint about Thief is that the film turns into a predictable one-man revenge flick. But I enjoyed it nonetheless, and Mann perfected everything when he created Heat, fourteen years later. I guess Thief is to Heat what Scorsese's Mean Streets is to his Taxi Driver and Goodfellas, a dress-rehearsal for later masterpieces.