Review of Thief (aka Violent Streets)

Introduction

In this tautly directed Heat-esque thriller by Michael Mann, James Caan stars as Frank, a master thief of the bank vault variety. Frank, ever cautious and always wary of others having a hold over him, soon finds his priorities as a taken man very different from his previous life as a singleton: he wants out of his life of crime, and quick. But to achieve his goal of a normal, family life he needs one big score first. Frank soon finds himself taking risks he never used to think about before; with the cops breathing down his neck, will he manage to catch his dream?

Video

Unfortunately this disc smacks of a laziness often prevalent on back catalogue releases: the print has obviously seen some wear and tear – specks and grain are on the screen most of the time – and should have led to a remastered picture. Instead we get a soft picture with dull colours. Disappointing.

Audio

Although a variety of dubs are included, each is only in the original 2.0 surround. The English track is decent enough, with clear dialogue throughout and occasional surround effects.

Features

Another back catalogue release, another empty disc...only the theatrical trailer is included here.

Conclusion

Thief is an excellent movie: Mann directs with the efficient style that became his signature later in his career, and Caan puts in another fine performance to add to his collection. Although the plot never deviates from what you expect, the ending is profoundly satisfying. Unfortunately the DVD is not, and is not really worth upgrading to or picking up unless found in a bargain bucket.