Customer Reviews

The Good Thief

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Neil Jordan is a master storyteller and filmmaker and also the director of the new Nick Nolte film, "The Good Thief." Nolte plays Bob Montagnet (montaigne): a beat up, past his prime, drug addled, seemingly out of it, former big time thief faced with the prospect and challenge of his final, once in a lifetime heist.
Nick Nolte, craggy-faced, whiskey voiced and dripping with charisma plays Bob like it is his final performance ever: his every word is delivered with deathbed earnestness... voluptuous with meaning.
Bob is a man who has come to the realization that his days as a thief and a romancer of women have just about come to an end. And because of this, when he is offered a chance in a lifetime to plan and execute the ultimate heist, he grasps at it with every fiber of his being for he knows there will be no more chances to make his mark .He is a man possessed with self-knowledge enough to know that this is his final chance to collect enough money to live out his days in luxury. Bob Montagnet could not, would not ever live without the finer things in life.
"The Good Thief" was shot in the south of France and in Monte Carlo by Michael Balhaus in gorgeous jewel tones to reflect the luxury of the world in which Bob revolves.
If there is a fault in this film it is in the re-dubbing: the voices do not always blend with the milieu in which they were shot.
"The Good Thief" is a thoughtful portrait of a man at the end of his career who must decide between fading into the sunset with a whimper or going out with a bang; even though that final bang might cost him his life.
As he showed in "The Crying Game" and "End of the Affair," Neil Jordan has an affinity for the disenfranchised, the disaffected, the outcasts of the world. And once again in "The Good Thief" he shows that he can relate and empathize with those who can only survive if they live on the fringes: steadfastly adhering to a code of ethics that they alone can explain and which most of us would be hard pressed to uphold or adhere to.

This is an enjoyable heist film where the character development is the central element rather than the heist itself. If you want nonstop action and complicated plots, watch one of the big budget spectaculars with the marquee names; if you want a well told story then you should enjoy this movie. I highly recommend the initial Amazon reviews (posted in April) as accurately capturing the essence of this film: thus I will not repeat their detail here but strongly suggest that you read a few of them in order to understand the nature of this cinematic endeavor.

Nick Nolte is Bob, a burned out heroin addict and former master thief who is recruited to mastermind a Monte Carlo casino heist. Tchecky Karo is Roger, a policeman who is his nemesis and is convinced that there is something being plotted. Nick's sidekick Paolo and a Bosnian prostitute named Anne who is befriended by Nick are the other main characters in a very engaging cast with several of the minor parts adding enjoyable twists to the story. There is the usual misdirection, just the right mix of humorous interludes and enough plot developments to keep the viewer's interest despite the slow pace of the story. The cinematography is excellent and definitely helps the story feel authentic.

My only major reservation is mentioned in jupitergirl's review but deserves emphasis. Both my wife and I found that the dialogue was often hard to understand, especially early in the film until we became accustomed to the accents, inflections, and cadences of the various actors (most of whom with the exception of Nolte were European and unfamiliar to us). In fact our unfamiliarity with the actors also meant that it took us a while to sort out the characters and their roles since they were introduced casually throughout the early part of the film.

This is a well constructed and enjoyable movie, but given the slow pace at which it proceeds you should plan to see it when you just want to relax and see a story gradually unfold. The conclusion is really wonderful, both for its cleverness and sense of irony; it nicely tied together all the storylines. The caper was fun; the film was a pleasurable experience

A remake of Jean Pierre Melville's Bob Le Flambeur, The Good Thief tells the tale of Bob Montagnet, a gambling as well as a heroin addict who is down in his luck. As an avid art lover, he recently discover that the new owner of the Monte Carlo at the French Riviera has a sizeable collection of priceless pieces, and is determine to pull that one spectacular job in which no one else can rival. Assembling the right group of people and concocting a plan within a plan, the line between truths and lies becomes increasingly blurry as Bob attempts to outwit the pesky policeman following his every movement. Will fortune smiles down on him, or will he be dealt another loser hand?

Bob is a skilled thief and a master storyteller, from how his parents first met to the accounts of his own life, no two versions are ever the same. It is hard to pinpoint the exact reason, but Nick Nolte's portrayal of Bob appears to be almost effortless. The man's struggle with a drug habit, the desolated look and his stubborn refusal to be beaten. Nolte was able to relate all of these feelings on the screen convincingly. Tcheky Karyo plays his nemesis Roger, a French cop who is both a friend, as well as an enemy due to their occupational differences. Their cat and mouse relationship provided many of the humorous moments in the movie. Newcomer Nutsa Kukhianidze held her own opposite of Nolte as the seductive prostitute Anne. Her acting is subtle, confident, and likeable. Definitely someone to keep an eye out for in the future. The rest of the cast is made up of Said Taghmaoui as Paulo and Gerard Darmon as Raoul, Bob's good friends and associates in the business.

Rather than falling back on flashy action or dramatic car chases to tell the story, award-winning director Neil Jordan chose to concentrate on having his characters do all the work for him. The Good Thief is a rare instance where the development of these roles take precedence, and the picture benefits greatly because of it. The finely woven plot consists of numerous twists and turns common to caper films; fortunately, they are kept fresh by the smart writing along with the solid acting all around. You may not be able to follow everything that is going on, but you can be sure that there isn't a dull moment. Cinematography by Chris Menges is stunning. The contrast between the glamorous Riviera and the squalid but exotic underworld is remarkable.

Sexy and stylish, The Good Thief is one of the best heist films I have seen in years. Nick Nolte delivers an outstanding performance in a part that seems to be tailored especially for him. An intriguing and an unpredictable plot, the witty dialogues, combined with a strong focus on the lead characters made this an immensely enjoyable experience. Admittedly the movie was hard for me to get into at first, but once you were drawn in, it does not let you go until the very last scene. While The Good Thief does not have the same star power as the highly successful Ocean's Eleven, don't let that stop you from checking it out.

The Good Thief is a new take on Jean-Pierre Melville's celebrated 1955 film Bob le Flambeur. Comparisons are said to be odious, and the critic's first commandment is to review the film at hand, not compare it with something else. I've broken a few other commandments in my time, and I'm afraid this one is next. There is simply no way I can look at a remake of a film I'm fond of and not measure it against the original, so I won't try.

Bob le Flambeur has been described as a precursor of the French New Wave films of Truffaut, Godard, Resnais et al.: the dialogue and editing were naturalistic rather than stage-play-like, the cinematography was a major element in the film rather than just a recording device. In that sense, B. le F. was a precognition not only of the French New Wave but of the style of most "serious" films today.

Neil Jordan, the director and screenwriter, wants to keep our eyes glued to the screen. The cinematographer, Chris Menges, gives us gorgeous saturated colors. The streets of Nice and Monte Carlo glow in the Mediterranean sun. Neon lighting in nightclubs bathes their inhabitants in the hues of tropical fish. Visually, there's hardly a dull moment in The Good Thief, and the DVD transfer captures the vibrancy of the camera work to perfection.

B. le F. -- set in Paris, not the south of France -- had its own ocular poetry, though, that didn't try to punch you out. Its black-and-white cinematography featured exteriors of Place Pigalle in the wan light of dawn, a bleak analogue to the lives of the gamblers and small-time crooks who were the movie's subjects.

The Good Thief, like B. le F., is about a man who has something of a privileged background (both films are a little vague about this) who has wasted his life as a gambler. After taking several falls and doing prison time, Bob is now way past his prime with not much to show for it. Temptation knocks, in the form of a chance to lead a clever burglary at the casino in Monte Carlo.

Jordan has gone all out to make the story "contemporary." Besides the hot visuals and fluid camera movement, he has added "now" touches and sub-themes: drug addiction, North African rai music (lots of Cheb Mami on the soundtrack), a trans-sexual character, Christian symbolism (besides Bob, the title refers to the thief who was crucified next to Jesus), 12-step programs, art forgery, and of course lots of whiz-bang technology for the burglary scenes.

Not only is most of this flapdoodle uninteresting in itself; worse, it serves as a diversion from the character study that the original was and The Good Thief imagines itself to be.

That's a shame, because some of the casting is strong. Tcheky Karyo gives a compelling performance as the detective who is Bob's nemesis. The young actress Nutsa Kukhianidze, playing a too-old-for-her years waif who wanders into Bob's subterranean world and gets enmeshed in it, is much better than her counterpart in B. le F.

But the portrayal of the central character (Nick Nolte) is about as wrong as it could be. An odious comparison is unavoidable. In Melville's film, Roger Duchesne captured our feelings and our imagination because he was a tragic figure in the classical sense -- a hero with a fatal flaw. Duchesne as Bob retained touches of elegance and gentility, as well as an inward quality. Nolte has been required by the script (and probably by his own acting tendencies as well) to keep showing us what a sorry loser he is.

We watch him go through a drug withdrawal, let us in on what a scammer he is, show us such pure cynicism that we don't buy into the supposed repentence suggested by the movie's title. It's all spelled out for us; there's nothing left to draw us into the character. To take one example: in B. le F., when Bob goes on a winning streak in the casino, he hands the croupier a big tip. In The Good Thief, he does the same but announces to his companion that it's one of his Rules for High-stakes Gambling: "Always tip the croupier."

Here's one of my rules for moviemaking: "Don't just give us something to watch. Let us meet your characters half-way." I'm sure Jordan studied Melville's film carefully, but that's one element he seems to have missed.

People who enjoy heist films with lovable criminals addicted to hard drugs will like this film. It is beautifully filmed in France and Monte Carlo, and veers between sentimental characters using hardboiled dialogue.

Speaking of dialogue (hey, a joke!), I recommend that English speaking viewers use the "English subtitle" DVD option. Not in order to translate the occasional French lines, but to figure out what Nick Nolte is mumbling in English!

The Good Thief packs so much of a punch that I'll put it on my short list of films I find difficulty anyone not enjoying.

Nolte gives his finest performance in years. Neil Jordan pays enormous respect to - and has fun with the classic French film Bob La Flambeur. Without knowing what "Thief" was about, I began watching it and getting strong feelings of deja vous only to realize what an IDIOT I was not to recognize the homage to the earlier film (and set in Monte Carlo as opposed to the original's Paris.) A film which has you routing for the bad guys, who are, of course, the best guys.

Everyone is obviously having a terrific time and Jordan provides a terrific reign over this large ensemble that is the equivalent of a world class conductor at the helm of a great symphony - everything is full of nuance and balanced so well that even the most convoluted moments (which are some of the best) have a feel so perfect they seem natural. A delightful bad guys are good guys perspective works splendidly and entertains completely!

Some critics have brushed aside Nolte's acting in this film because his personal life happens to mirror, in some key respects, the life of Bob - an American thief in southern France whose life has degenerated into a daze of heroin and gambling. Frankly, I don't care how Nolte managed to fit so seamlessly into this role, because it was amazing to watch. Bob's life is in the pits, but there's also humanity in him; if you look past the haze of smoke, the shuffling walk, and the droopy eyes you see a gentleman, a person who would never behave cruelly to others. Though the plot gets driven along by a heist on an art vault in Monte Carlo, the movie is also a complex character portrait of an old criminal. The dialogue is entertaining, the soundtrack is excellent, and the supporting characters are sharply drawn and add a lot of color to Bob's seedy world. My one complaint is that it can be difficult to understand Nolte's speech; he has a tendency to mumble and swallow his words, and although this is in keeping with his character, it can be frustrating for the viewer and will necessitate hitting the rewind button many times.

I am not afraid to admit that I think Nick Nolte is one of the most overrated actors of his generation, but I think that he was really good in "The Good Thief", because he was playing someone so close to himself in real life. A burnt out junkie who is closer to the end of his career than the beginning seems to fit him perfectly.

This movie is a heist movie to begin with, and director Neil Jordan shoots it with the appropriate glitz and glamour that a film set in Monte Carlo deserves. He nails the atmosphere, giving the movie a dark, jazzy feel, mixing the styles of the classic films noir and the new reinvention of the style. The plot is good, as it is filled with twists and turns, as any good heist flick should. One thing that should be mentioned is the chemistry between all the characters. The cast is completely European, save Nolte, yet they mesh incredibly well together. The relationship between Bob and Roger the police officer is one of the movie's centerpieces, and their mutual respect and odd friendship is completely believable without too much explanation. Also good in this movie is the girl who plays Anna, and I won't even attempt to spell her name, because it could take up to an hour to get it right. She is as throaty as she is innocent, yet there is an obvious dark side to her character, one that often shines brighter than the innocence of a seventeen year old runaway.

Aside from the crime side of the movie, "The Good Thief" is about rebirth, in all of the characters. They are all ressurecting themselves from their past lives, trying to make good on the lives that still lay ahead of them. All in all, this is a good movie, and should entertain most people who are into this genre until the exciting end.

Loosely based on Jean-Pierre Melville's noir classic, "The Good Thief" offers much for the fans of the genre, but little for the fans of the star Nick Nolte's "48hrs". The film is slow-moving, and the stress is given on the characters, not the actions, so don't expect any Walter Hill-like machismo touch here.

Neil Jordan's newer version follows basically the same plot of the orginal. It is about Bob, aging gambler living in the French Riviera, and is constantly under the influence of some substance. While he rescues a Russian girl Anne one night, and finds himself utterly broke, he takes another (and the last) chance to do heist, this time a very big one. He collects unique members to do this job, but French cop Roger (Tcheky Karyo) is always watching him, knowing that something is going on.

Jordan gives a twist to the story of the original "Bob le Flambeur," but the French film is also influenced by American noirs like "Asphalt Jungle," and here and there in "The Good Thief" you will find what you saw in these old heist films -- a lady, a thwarted plan, and so on. Neil Jordan follows the rules very carefully, but I am afraid too carefully to really engage us.

But the picture itself is beautifully done, capturing the glowing lights of Monte Carlo casinos or the dangers hidden behind the feebly-lit streets at night. (The photographer is Oscar-winner Chris Menges, "The Mission" "The Killing Field" and others) The moody images are one of the assets of the film, so is the strong acting of Nick Nolte as Bob.

The support is interesting, if not always great. Tcheky Karyo can be as bad and evil as he wants (see "Kiss of the Dragon") but he shows unexpected tenderness here, like in "The Core."

You see a cameo of Ralph Fiennes, but his role is too small to need special mention, and so is Said Taghmaoui, who was so impressive in French film "Hate." Emir Kusturica (himself a director of "Arizona Dream" and "Underground") is not bad as a comic relief, a high tech guy Vladimir playing rock guitar. As Anne Nutsa Kukhianidze, though obviously she needs more training for acting, is very seductive and sexy enough.

So, "The Good Thief" is a good noir, but that is all I can say. I find the film needs stronger driving force for any characters involved -- I don't think I saw much of Bob's character as gambler in the film -- but as noir that's ok. Just good.

This was a really good movie, heard about it last year and just saw it on cable. The ending was really surprising and Nutsa is a beautiful girl. I like her character, Anne, a lot. She has this calm, funny, shrewd demeanor.