Thief (1981)

Director: Michael Mann

Writers: Michael Mann, Frank Hohimer

Composer: Tangerine Dream

Starring: James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson, James Belushi, Robert Prosky, Tom Signorelli, Dennis Farina, Nick Nickeas, W.R. Brown, William Peterson,

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Tonight, his take home pay is $410,000...tax free.

Plot: Becoming closer to his dream of leading a normal life, a professional safecracker agrees to do a job for the mafia, who have other plans for him.

My rating: 8/10

Will I watch it again?  Yes.

Man, I haven't seen this in nearly thirty years.  It's even better than I remember.  James Caan is a badass.  I love that guy.  Robert Prosky plays a mean heavy and it's his first feature film (as well as Belushi's,  Farina's, and Mann's).  There's a nice bit of tension that builds until the AWESOME finale that kicks all kinds of ass.  Tangerine Dream's score works so well with Mann's style and use of slow motion.  This is a great little crime caper picture that just stylish enough to make it work well with the substance.  I would LOVE to see this in a theater and it's one hell of a feature film debut from Mann. There are a lot of reasons to see this but mainly because it's that damn good.  Hell, I'm ready to watch it again.