As another reviewer said, "before Heat there was Thief" and that is bang on.
You can see the building blocks to Mann's later work and the plot is a similar criminal world to Heat - theft, fencing, double-crosses.
It lacks the even pacing it needs to be great. But it does establish that slow, methodical Mann style of shooting which creates a wonderful atmosphere and gives so much depth to the experience.
Caan is merely okay, which is a big step up from the usual crap or terrible, and the rest of the cast are all still employing that 1970s way of acting. All jittery and monosyllabic.
It is a nice watch and shows a lot of gritty Chicago - but as a precursor to Heat, this is what you should watch as opposed to LA Takedown. This is the real trial run.
Shout by PorterUkVIP 5BlockedParent2021-05-07T00:16:14Z
As another reviewer said, "before Heat there was Thief" and that is bang on.
You can see the building blocks to Mann's later work and the plot is a similar criminal world to Heat - theft, fencing, double-crosses.
It lacks the even pacing it needs to be great. But it does establish that slow, methodical Mann style of shooting which creates a wonderful atmosphere and gives so much depth to the experience.
Caan is merely okay, which is a big step up from the usual crap or terrible, and the rest of the cast are all still employing that 1970s way of acting. All jittery and monosyllabic.
It is a nice watch and shows a lot of gritty Chicago - but as a precursor to Heat, this is what you should watch as opposed to LA Takedown. This is the real trial run.
7.75/10