Thiefis one of the loneliest films ever made. The peak of Michael Mann’s pulsating vaporwave crime thrillers, it’s a film of longing, trances, and nights on the edge of the word. Frank (James Caan) is a thief, and like all Mann protagonists to come, is a wounded, emotionally unavailable dreamer crushed by a cynical world kicking him out and forcing him to adapt to a life of crime. His luck is poor, but his aim is unmatched as he attempts to blow his way out and finally be free of this dangerous profession. The thunderous, reverb-drenched Tangerine Dream score dictates the mood of every scene, letting Frank’s world come to life, as his own demise will eventually follow. Caan’s performance is extraordinary, but the real shining star of the piece is Willie Nelson (!) as a prison-bound lifer with a moral compass and a heartbreaking subplot. He gets a handful of scenes but makes his mark in a pathos-laden part right from the school of Greek tragedy. Mann’s color palette is dark blue in almost every scene, as Frank wanders through car parks, diners, and rainy Chicago skies that proffer the washing away of his many sins. There’s not too much plot at work here, and modern viewers will be reminded of the tone and style of Refn’s Drive, but this is an absolute masterpiece of a tone poem and it’s hard to believe this is Mann’s debut! A beautiful gem in the crime genre.
