Thief (1981)

02/12/21 • 53 min

Mann is born. James Caan cruises through the black mirror of Chicago's rain-soaked streets in Micheal Mann's masterful film debut, Thief. This 1980s neo-noir is a rote one-more-caper film at its root, but its eccentric flourishes grow into bountiful and rich foliage: the ethereal soundtrack from Tangerine Dream, the searing ambition of Caan, and the corrupted spine of Chicago itself. Way behind the genre films of the time, Thief remains a riveting, ambitious, and wonderful film.

Special Guest: Mike Field of the fantastic Forgotten Cinema podcast.

Join us as we trace the life of Thief from conception (Mann cold selling) to production (18 hour days stalking Chicago) to release (muted and forgotten) and reception (Letterboxd catnip).

Special Guest: Mike Field of the fantastic Forgotten Cinema podcast.

Join us as we trace the life of Thief from conception (Mann cold selling) to production (18 hour days stalking Chicago) to release (muted and forgotten) and reception (Letterboxd catnip).

Previous Episode

The Little Things (2021)

Take a walk on the trite side with this 1990s LA Boir period-piece new to HBO Max, The Little Things. This bromidic concoction comes from the Hollywood journeyman John Lee Hancock who is responsible for The Blind Side and more recently the Netflix AARP hit The Highwaymen. Denzel Washington plays the haunted lead detective opposite Rami Maleck and walking freakshow Jared Leto plays the heavy in this inconspicuous crime thriller. How did a script written in 1993 with Steven Spielberg attached end up getting dumped to a streaming service in 2021? Listen and find out!

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