Thief
BUY AT:
See more details, packaging, or compare
Synopsis
The contemporary American auteur Michael Mann’s bold artistic sensibility was already fully formed when he burst out of the gate with Thief, his debut feature. James Caan stars, in one of his most riveting performances, as a no-nonsense ex-con professional thief planning to leave the criminal world behind after one last score—but he discovers that escape is not as simple as he’d hoped. Finding hypnotic beauty in neon and rain-slick streets, sparks and steel, Thief effortlessly established the moody stylishness, tactile approach, and drama that would also define such later iconic Mann films as Heat, The Insider, Ali, and The Last of the Mohicans.
Picture 9/10
The Criterion Collection upgrades their edition of Michael Mann’s Thief to 4K UHD, presenting the film in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on a triple-layer disc. The 2160p/24hz ultra high-definition presentation, encoded with Dolby Vision, comes from a new 4K restoration scanned from the 35mm original camera negative. The release also includes a standard Blu-ray—identical to the 2014 edition—featuring a 1080p presentation of the film and all the video supplements.
To my surprise, this new 4K presentation is sourced from a different restoration than the one used for the Blu-ray, resulting in a more substantial upgrade than I originally expected. In retrospec, with its shortcomings more apparent now, I probably wouldn’t give the Blu-ray a perfect grade today as I did then, but it wasn’t a bad presentation. It just would have benefited from a better encode. This new scan, combined with a fresh digital restoration delivers just that, and it leads to a significantly cleaner image with a lovely looking grain structure and an improved, more natural film texture.
Finer details are also more distinct and tend to pop a bit more, though HDR and Dolby Vision contribute a lot in that area. Since most of the film takes place at night or in dim settings, the broader contrast range is a big benefit. The opening sequence, which alternates between a dark alley and a shadowy interior, is much easier to see, and the way light from individual sources breaks up into the shadows—capturing rainfall as it falls—looks outstanding. The standout moment might be the final heist, where Caan’s character uses a customized acetylene torch to cut through a vault, sending bright sparks flying in every direction. It’s always been a visually striking sequence, but it looks absolutely stunning here.
And while all of those imrprovements were a wonderful surprise, the biggest surprise ends up being how the color grading has been altered, if only slightly. The earlier Blu-ray leaned hard into teal, in line with other MGM and Fox restorations of that period, though even by those standards, it was heavy (anyone complaining about teal in Criterion’s 4K of Night Moves should revisit some of those restorations—those are teal). That said, the look likely reflected how the film appeared theatrically, though I can’t say for certain. Interestingly, this new grading pulls back on the teal and leans more blue, softening the green/teal cast. As a result, skin tones appear more natural, skies look less cyan, reds are bolder (and less maroon), and whites appear clean—if a tad cooler. I can’t say whether this grading is closer to Mann’s original intent, or whether the Blu-ray better reflects it, but I found it entirely acceptable, and I have to say, personally, I prefer it to what the previous Blu-ray offered.
Color grading aside, this is a sharp-looking upgrade—far more film-like in texture, cleaner overall, and much easier to see thanks to the improved contrast. It’s the best I’ve ever seen the film look.
Audio 8/10
Surprisingly, the film also receives a new audio presentation: a 5.0 track that, on paper, is technically a downgrade from the 5.1 mix included on the Blu-ray. That said, I suspect this is simply a reproduction of the original 4-channel mix presented in a 5.0 container. Even so, it’s a terrific track with impressive range, especially during the film’s more action-driven sequences and when its delivering Tangerine Dream’s electronic score. Dialogue remains crisp and clear, and there’s no evidence of heavy filtering having been applied.
Extras 6/10
Porting everything over from the Blu-ray edition (not a surprise since the inclued Blu-ray is the exact same disc), the release still feels a little slim on features. Things kick off once again with an audio commentary (available on both the 4K disc and the Blu-ray) featuring director Michael Mann and star James Caan, originally recorded for MGM’s LaserDisc release. It’s a disappointingly dry track, with increasing stretches of dead air as it goes along. There’s some interesting material scattered throughout: comments on the consultants they worked with, the time period, and plenty of discussion around how the characters speak. There are also a few notable anecdotes, like John Belushi hanging around the set and mentions of corruption in Chicago, but overall it’s not as engaging as I would’ve hoped.
That may be part of the reason why Criterion has added two new interviews featuring the director and star. The first, a 24-minute conversation between Michael Mann and critic Scott Foundas, surprisingly packs in more information than the entire commentary. Mann dives into the film’s genre, his personal draw to stories like this, the imagery, and how he developed his visual sensibility over the years. He also discusses the Tangerine Dream score and goes into detail about the characters and casting choices. It’s a far more engaging and informative piece, and I’d recommend it over the commentary without hesitation.
The new James Caan interview is also worth checking out. Though it runs only 11 minutes, it ends up being more satisfying than the commentary as well. Caan repeats a few points, especially his focus on having the character avoid contractions when speaking, but he also shares more about his “training” with guns and safecracking. (He even jokes that he managed to crack open his sister’s safe when she couldn’t). It’s short, but still satisfying.
Criterion also includes a 16-minute interview with former Tangerine Dream member Johannes Schmoelling. It’s on the drier side, but after briefly touching on the band’s history, he discusses their first film score and the challenges of meeting Mann’s expectations. The disc wraps up with the film’s original theatrical trailer.
The included insert features an essay by Nick James (the same one from the Blu-ray), which offers some thoughtful insights but (still) stands as the sole piece of critical analysis in the set. All in all, it’s a surprisingly slim package, and it could’ve benefited from deeper scholarly material—but the interviews we do get are worthwhile.
Closing
A striking and unexpected upgrade over Criterion’s earlier Blu-ray, making it easily worth the jump to 4K. It’s just a shame the supplements couldn’t get the same level of attention.
BUY AT:
