Criterion of the Month | Michael Mann’s Thief (1981)

https://paa.ge/popcornhour/en

For this month’s Criterion of the Month, Matt and James dive into Michael Mann’s electrifying debut feature, Thief (1981). Starring James Caan as a professional safecracker trying to pull off one last job, the film blends gritty realism with slick visual precision, creating a blueprint for the modern crime thriller. The conversation explores Mann’s meticulous attention to detail, Caan’s powerhouse performance, and how the film’s themes of professionalism, control, and self-destruction still resonate more than forty years later. They also dig into Thief’s stunning visuals, Tangerine Dream’s pulsing synth score, and why this Criterion edition cements its status  ...