MOVIE · 1981

Thief

ActionAdventureCrimeDramaFamilyThriller123 min

Frank is a professional safecracker in Chicago, an ex-con whose precise diamond heists are supposed to buy him a clean exit: a home, a family, and a life outside crime. James Caan is Frank, tightly controlled and methodical, while Tuesday Weld is the woman he hopes to build that future with. To speed up his retirement, he signs on with a powerful gangster for a major score, binding his plans to organized crime and police surveillance. In his feature debut, Michael Mann shapes the underworld through neon, rain-slick streets, and the minute, mechanical details of torches, drills, and steel safes.