Once a Thief

Amazon.com

A romantic art-heist comedy, far lighter in tone than most of director John Woo's work, and in places much sillier. As kids, Chow Yun-fat, Cherie Chung, and Leslie Cheung (A Chinese Ghost Story) were starving street urchins together. They are rescued from the law and trained by a Fagin-like older crook, who transforms them into glossy international cat burglars. The best sections (especially the opening and closing heists) are as masterfully smooth as any action set pieces in the Woo canon. But the tone wavers alarmingly, from the sophisticated (Chow as Cary Grant) to the savage to the sentimental and back again, with a disastrous slapstick coda set in the states, in which the baby food hits the fan. The busy plotting distracts us from a strong theme: the struggle between good and bad father figures (the other is a stalwart cop played by Chu Kong) for the souls of these noble criminals. Not to be confused with the rather limp 1995 remake, produced by Woo for Canadian TV in 1995, with The X-Files' sinister Krycek, Nicholas Lea, surprisingly effective in the Chow part. --David Chute

Customer Reviews:

A lighthearted fun caper movie.......2007-04-29

This movie is not what I expected at all. Rather than the usual Chow Yun Fat/John Woo Kill everything and then some movie, I was pleasantly surprised to watch this fun and seet movie. The premise is very 70s caper movie, a heist, a plan, a bad guy and the players. However, Woo takes us on a long journey with some unsuspecting turns and twists that I did not expect. The effort was fun and effective. Though some of the humor towards the end has a prediliction for cheesy humor, it's easy to get past and enjoy a very fun and entertaining romp. Recomended.

It's pretty good.......2006-10-26

It is not woo's best work I will say that but it is not bad. It is more comedy than the ulta violent action gun-ho stuff that we are all use to see. But the fact that he took a different aproach for this film was in alot of ways refreshing. The humor at times can be a tad bit corny at times and the action is very restrained. Out of respect for the man that has given us the greatest action movies of our time I will say get this movie. Not everyone will like this movie but some will just don't get your hopes high.

Painfully bad.......2005-12-21

Ok, a John Woo film, starring Chow Yun Fat, about an art heist. It's all good right? Wrong. Oh, was it bad. Slapstick, some terribly contrived stunts and a cringingly bad soundtrack. We did finish it--but we still wonder why.

Caper Film Woo Style.......2005-12-06

The film starts out breezy enough. Likable trio of art thiefs mastermind elaborate heists in Paris. Afterwards they toast their laurels and have a jolly good time. You almost forget you're watching a John Woo film. Never fear. Guns start ablazing. Things blow up real good. Bad guys eat lead. It's soon revealed that Joey(Chow Yun-Fat), Jim (Leslie Cheung), and Cherie(Cherie Leung) were raised by an evil father figure who taught them petty thievery at the threat of a caning or starvation. The three grow up to be master criminals employed by evil Daddy's thriving Hong Kong crime syndicate. Heavy stuff but Woo is in top form here juggling thrills and levity along with the film's darker themes. The film also contains enough clever twists and surprises to satisfy the more discerning viewer. Yun-Fat is in top form here as the devil-may-care Joey. Yun-Fat commands the screen as both comedian and action star. This may not be the equivalent of Woo's masterworks, "The Killer" and "Hard Boiled", but it is an impressive entry in the directors canon.

Another John Woo movie worth owning.......2004-10-24

Not as 'heavy' and full of action as many of Woo's other early films such as The Killer, Hardboiled, A Better Tommorrow etc. A bit of a change of pace for Woo and well done. Three street kids pull off a big heist.

Woo remade this film for TV with disastoruous results so make sure you are buying the one starring Chow Yun Fat.

Average customer rating:

Big Disappointment
Once a Thief DVDs switched!

Once a Thief: Family Business
Starring: Sandrine Holt , Nicholas Lea , Ivan Sergei , and Vicky Pratt
Director: T.J. Scott , and John Woo
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000C23HP
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Customer Reviews:

Big Disappointment.......2003-12-08

I received this DVD as a gift. I like John Woo's work, so I thought this would be a good film. The tag line is "they only stop to unload." After 35 minutes with very little action or plot development and listening to wooden characters echo poorly written lines ("I feel like the last living cell in a human body" "If it helps, I'm sorry"/"Well, it doesn't help" / "Well, I'm still sorry.") I turned it off.

Once a Thief DVDs switched!.......2003-10-24

For those of you who will buy John Woo's "Once A Thief" DVD series/TV-movies, please take note: I bought "John Woo's Once a Thief - Brother Against Brother" and "John Woo's Once a Thief - Family Business." The DVDs inside were switched! In other words, the actual DVD DISC, though labeled "Brother Against Brother," contained the movie "Family Business." And vice versa!

So I suggest that you buy "Family Business" and "Brother Against Brother" together, and just switch the DVDs inside. (I just wrote on the DVD itself with a Sharpie to properly label the movie contained.)

Average customer rating:

Great Title, but find the series

Once a Thief
Starring: Sandrine Holt
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc Corporation
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Similar Items:

Once a Thief: Family Business

Once a Thief: Brother Against Brother

Once a Thief

Once a Thief: Family Business/Brother Against Brother

The Impossible Elephant

ASIN: B00062IZ0E
Release Date: 2004-08-31

Customer Reviews:

Great Title, but find the series.......2007-05-14

The DVD is a powerful story with a great deal of humor, but the TV series produced out of canada is hard to find, but makes a great addition to any cops and robbers/ super spy series lover

Average customer rating:

Once a Thief: Brother Against Brother
Once A Thief DVDs switched!

Once a Thief: Brother Against Brother
Starring: Sandrine Holt , Nicholas Lea , and Ivan Sergei
Director: Allan Kroeker , John Woo , and David Wu
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Action & Adventure | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Art House & International | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Drama | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0000C23HR
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Customer Reviews:

Once a Thief: Brother Against Brother.......2005-07-19

This was a very good movie.If you want to see plenty of action and some comedy. This is the movie to get

Once A Thief DVDs switched!.......2003-10-24

Customer Reviews:

Ugh, Michael Wong!.......2005-01-24

Re-made for Canadian television, this movie did have potential. It's got a lot of creativity, and some action-flick humor...but the chemistry between actors felt unnatural--too forced. And worst of all, Michael Wong was cast into a leading role. This dude CANNOT act. He should change his name to Monotone Wong (or Wong Daan-Diu in Cantonese).

Witty and Fun.......2002-03-18

Once a thief are great entertainment the screen play and all the exagerations are so funny. If you love great action then it is a must own

Bad Movie.......2002-01-29

The worst movie ever. If you want to see a real good Woo film, go watch "Face/Off". Now thats a good movie.

Great!!!.......2001-12-27

it's just... so canadian... brilliant, really... funny, full of action, suspense... it has it all.

3 stars movie.......2001-05-02

Not bad film. Quite stylish action. Me recommend to buy it only if u saw a same TV series! Problem with the soundtrack: crackling noise during many scenes. Sound in Dolby Prologic only. :(

Average customer rating:

A lighthearted fun caper movie
It's pretty good
Painfully bad
Caper Film Woo Style
Another John Woo movie worth owning

Once a Thief
Starring: Leslie Cheung , Yun-Fat Chow , Kong Chu , Cherie Chung , and Kenneth Tsang
Manufacturer: Tail Records
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305120366
Release Date: 1998-09-29

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

A lighthearted fun caper movie.......2007-04-29

It's pretty good.......2006-10-26

Painfully bad.......2005-12-21

Caper Film Woo Style.......2005-12-06

Another John Woo movie worth owning.......2004-10-24

Once a Thief: Family Business/Brother Against Brother

Average customer rating:

Once a Thief: Family Business/Brother Against Brother
Starring: Sandrine Holt
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0002S64FK
Release Date: 2004-08-17

Average customer rating:

A laugh a minute...
Once A Thief
When will they release the whole series on DVD?
Warring: this film [is bad]
Fun start to an even better series

Once a Thief
Starring: Jennifer Dale , Howard Dell , Julian Richings , Greg Kramer (II) , and James Allodi
Director: T.J. Scott , John Paizs , David Wu , Steve DiMarco , and Allan Kroeker
Manufacturer: Simitar Ent.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: 6304810784
Release Date: 1998-02-10

Amazon.com

John Woo directed this surprisingly lighthearted caper tale for TV as a pilot for a series that never materialized. The forgettable leads--Ivan Sergei, Sandrine Holt, and Michael Wong--play adoptive siblings who have been trained by their father, a Hong Kong crime lord, to be master thieves. Then circumstances pit Holt and Sergei against Wong; the two of them have been co-opted as undercover cops, tracking his big score. The movie doesn't amount to much, but Woo comes through with a couple of terrific, imaginative (and funny) action sequences, including one particularly inventive one that has them literally hanging from the chandeliers. Even Woo diehards may have a hard time swallowing the smirky, callow Sergei as a romantic action lead. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

A laugh a minute..........2005-07-09

Action!
I don't know if this is meant to be a serious movie, but if you need a good laugh, go for it. It's got action, a botched up love story, and some good old fashioned goof balls. Nick Lea and Ivan Sergei were a blast hanging off a chandelier. The Director (Dale) is a hoot in a S&M suit! (hey that rhymed!) The only bore was Sandrine Holt. I'm just waiting for the TV series to come out on DVD, now that was good television! (And the theme song was pretty good too).

Once A Thief.......2005-03-03

Still waiting for the tv series to come out on DVD. The pilot just wets the appetite for the rest.

When will they release the whole series on DVD?.......2004-05-07

They SO need to release the whole TV series on DVD. Hurry up John Woo some of us were disappointed that the series got cancelled!

Warring: this film [is bad].......2002-07-23

Warring this is not a good film. The screenplay is bad, the acting is bad, and about every thing about this film is bad. John Woo is a good director; this is not a good film. Woo's Hollywood success with BROKEN ARROW and FACE/OFF emboldened FOX TV to remake Woo's Hong Kong action comedy hit ONCE A THIEF (1992) for TV. Wath we got was nothing more then a movie that rips off Woo's (good) Hong Kong films (a little bit of HARD BOILED can be seen in the film) with a no name TV movie stars (like Nicholas Lea) who wood bee better off acting in plays or something like that. This film was also to be a pilot for a TV program it looks like they got the ratings in this film [is bad] (you may know that by now, but I hate this film). The story (if there is one) is set in Hong Kong and then in Vancouver but that is all I wath to put to words, the rest is too dumb (or has been used before in the 92 film). Look for the 1992 film. The video is a "Never before Seen R-rated Director's cut", but there is no blood or nothing in it. A much better Woo U.S.A. made film is HARD TARGET.

1997. TV Film. ??? MINS.

Rated R For Violence.

Fun start to an even better series.......2002-07-02

While I won't call this movie high art, it was a lot of fun to watch. And ignore the...comment. While the show has not yet aired in the States (but will be on many ABC stations next fall), it was turned into a series that was much better, including episodes that satirized everything from Waiting for Godot and the Maltese Falcon to James Bond and X-Files.

Average customer rating:

Once a Thief
Starring: Once a Thief
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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Action & Adventure | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0007XG2KW
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Average customer rating:

Once a Thief [Region 2]
Starring: Jennifer Dale , Howard Dell , Julian Richings , Greg Kramer (II) , and James Allodi
Director: T.J. Scott , John Paizs , David Wu , Steve DiMarco , and Allan Kroeker
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( O ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00004RYAD

DVD:

DVD

DVD