Thief (Criterion Collection): 4K UHD Review
While Michael Mann’s feature directorial debut was a made-for-tv movie called The Jericho Mile in 1979, his feature film debut in cinemas, was 1981’s neo-noir heist film, Thief starring James Caan. Mann’s feature was adapted from Frank Hohimer’s memoir, The Home Invaders: Confessions of a Cat Burglar and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and James’ brother Ronnie Caan. This week, the Director’s Cut of Thief arrives on 4K UHD for the first time, courtesy of Criterion.
Set in Chicago, jewel thief and ex-con, Frank (James Caan) has a set of rules that he always follows, which he hopes will keep him out of prison. He only works with those he trusts, like his friend Barry (James Belushi). Frank also has a couple of businesses like a car dealership and a bar, which are fronts for his other line of work. After Frank completes his latest score, he gives the diamonds to his fence, Joe Gags. Unfortunately, Mr. Gags gets tossed out a twelve-story window before Frank can collect the $185k that he is owed.
Frank’s search for his missing money, leads him to a face to face with the boss of a Chicago outfit, Leo (Robert Prosky). Leo not only gives Frank his owed money, but offers him a chance to make even more money, enough for him to retire. This would mean that Frank would have to trust someone he doesn’t even know. At the same time, Frank also starts a relationship Jessie (Tuesday Weld), a young woman who has a bit of a dark past of her own. Frank wants to start a family with Jessie, but since she can’t have children, they adopt and not in the most legal way either, thanks to a little help from Leo. Unfortunately, Frank goes against his better judgement and does a job for Leo, but that leads and soon learns that he should have stuck with his original life structure.
While the original 4K scan was done over a decade ago for the 2014 Blu-ray release from Criterion, the 2160p with Dolby Vision release of that same transfer, looks phenomenal. Much like Mann’s more well-known films, Thief takes us into a dark and gritty urban landscape and the filmmaker brings the seedy parts of Chicago to life here. It’s amazing that locations shot during the day and night look like totally different cities. Everything looks so clear, down to the greenery at night around Leo’s home. The neon light in the city is bright and truly glows in 4K. Some of the more noticeable improvements with the higher resolution, would be the darker lit scenes, like the film’s opening robbery with the rainy alley, as-well-as some of the interior locations, like Frank and Leo’s homes. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is perfect as-is. While Thief is more of a dialogue-driven heist film, the soundtrack also plays a big role. Why have Tangerine Dream do the music if you are not going to make it an essential part of the storytelling. Mann knows exactly how and where to place every bit of the music, and it elevates the material every time.
While the 2014 Blu-ray from Criterion is definitely strong, the new 4K release is enough of an improvement to justify the upgrade for any fan of the film.
Special Edition Features:
- New 4K digital restoration of the director’s cut, supervised and approved by director Michael Mann, with 5.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Audio commentary featuring Mann and actor James Caan
- Interviews with Mann, Caan, and Johannes Schmoelling of the band Tangerine Dream, which contributed the film’s soundtrack
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by critic Nick James
By: Marc Ferman