Irish director Neil Jordan (THE CRYING GAME, MICHAEL COLLINS) and veteran actor Nick Nolte combine their talents for this breezy heist picture. Bob (Nolte) is a retired master thief and gambler living as an expatriot in France. His past robberies are the stuff of underworld legend, but he's given it all up, and fallen into a twilight life of heroin addiction and seedy gambling dens. Then a chance encounter with an attractive young runaway (Nutsa Kukhianidze) inspires him to clean up his act and take one last big job; an elaborate modern art heist at a swanky Riviera casino. Standing in his way is a cagey police inspector (Tchéky Karyo) who is determined to bring him down, even though the two are longtime friends.
The twisty caper plotting compliments a fun cast (including Emir Kusturica and Gérard Darmon as two of Bob's brothers in crime), clever dialogue, stylish direction, and pretty Riviera scenery. Loosely modeled on Jean Pierre Melville's BOB LE FLAMBEUR, this is something of a pet project for Jordan and it's obvious he's invested himself into every detail of the production. The result is both elegant and warmly quirky. As for Nolte, he seems to be having a terrific time; the charming old rascal role fits him perfectly, and Kukhianidze proves his match with an aplomb beyond her years. Ralph Fiennes has a small role as a disreputable art dealer.
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Dual Layered/Dual Sided
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Digital Surround - Spanish
Additional Release Material:
Featurette - 1. The Making of THE GOOD THIEF
Audio Commentary - 1. Neil Jordan - Director
Deleted Scenes
Trailers
Executive Producer
Kristin Harms: Executive Producer, WHITE OLEANDER (2002)
Executive Producer
Neil Jordan: Director/Screenwriter
Executive Producer
Thierry de Navacelle: Executive Producer, THE GOOD THEIF (2003)
Featured
Ralph Fiennes: British Actor
Source Writer
Auguste Le Breton: Author of novel on which RAFIFI was based
Source Writer
Jean-Pierre Melville: French Director
Director of Photography
Chris Menges: British Director Of Photography/Director, THE BOXER (1997)
Review 1:
"...THE GOOD THIEF is exuberant, sexy, and ultimately life-affirming drama..."
Source: Total Film
p.105 03/01/2003
Review 2:
"...It's a triumph of flourish, all weathered, movie-star-size gesture....The movie is the ultimate caper, a work of brazen ebullience..."
Source: New York Times
p.E3 04/02/2003
Review 3:
"...THE GOOD THIEF offers a couple of good benefits. One is the pleasing sight of Nick Nolte in fairly robust form....There's also an appealing turn by Tcheky Karyo..."
Source: USA Today
p.3D 04/02/2003
Review 4:
"...Nolte brings a raspy authority to the role, and director Neil Jordan surrounds him with colorful characters..."
Source: Rolling Stone
p.64 05/01/2003
Review 5:
"...[Nolte gives] one of those performances that flows unhindered from an actor's deepest instincts..."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.28 04/06/2003
Review 6:
"...An ingenious thriller....One of the best things about THE GOOD THIEF is the vividly grungy atmosphere that Jordan and master cinematographer Chris Menges evoke..."
Source: Movieline's Hollywood Life
p.114-15 05/01/2003