The only film from this era (Mann's digital era) I enjoyed on first watch was Collateral. Only reason I’d heard about is was through Criterion.
It’s currently streaming on Prime for those who want to check it out! I’m really surprised this movie isn’t talked about more by the general movie crowd. Thief gives us the ending we all secretly want from this sort of film, but one we don’t often see for the sake of realism. It’s indulgent and wholly satisfying, and as we transition from Frank walking away to the credits, I was pretty much in awe. The tension here builds as there’s no accompanying score and he stalks through the boss man’s home, but then things reach the sublime akin to the murder of Billy Batts when Frank blows the dude’s head off, that triumphant Tangerine Dream score kicks in, and Frank blasts his way out of there. Thief also has one of the most badass endings ever.
I’d have to watch it again to really comment on the visual storytelling, but one shot burned into my mind is of Frank and his wife sitting by the fire after they’d been rejected (or more like thrown out) by the adoption agency. Thanks to the gorgeous cinematography, even the slower parts of the film keep your interest. The pacing of this movie could be called a “slow-burn” compared to other crime films, but I thought it was totally appropriate considering, again, that it’s a character-driven piece.
It’s cool to me that some of these more proto-ambient Krautrockers did film scores - makes me want to watch some of the movies that Can did the soundtracks for.
The obvious example is the shootout at the end, but the scene when he’s taken in to the police station (and when it first shows the big safe they’ve got to crack later on just before) is another great example. A good score is necessary to any good film, obviously, but their music is so uniquely otherworldly that it brings a very specific kind of urgency to some of the most important scenes. So many scenes were elevated to heights they couldn’t have reached had they not been accompanied by the synth riffs of Tangerine Dream. Their score is, arguably, as crucial to the film as is Caan’s acting and Mann’s writing and direction. Though I’ve heard very little about this movie anyways (surprisingly), the Tangerine Dream score is something that’s not even mentioned in the description of the Criterion release. It’s a character-driven film in the most literal sense, which is why James Caan’s performance is so crucial. We’re given so much time just with Frank and his wife, Frank and Jim Belushi, Frank and the gangsters he gets involved with, that when the crime scenes do happen we’re absolutely invested.
The fact that about 1/4th of the film contains classic crime scenes (thievery, robbery, THE USUAL) undoubtedly accounts for the intimacy at the heart of Thief. Its sum and parts are equally great James Caan’s brutal yet sensitive performance as Frank, Mann’s ability to shoot Chicago at night in a way that predicted (or more likely, influenced) so many neon-drenched nighttime cityscape crime dramas to come, Tangerine Dream’s flawless score, etc. Michael Mann’s Thief is, across the board, a perfect crime movie.