Search - The Good Thief on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Not For Children, Profanity, Substance Abuse Movie Release: 2003 DVD Release: 08/19/2003 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, Spanish Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 2 Number of Discs: 2 Run Time: 1 hrs 49 mins Studio: 20th Century Fox Total Copies: 1 Genres: Crime, Crime Thriller, Caper

Loosely based on Jean-Pierre Melville's French film noir Bob le Flambeur, this heist film from director Neil Jordan (Interview With the Vampire, The Crying Game) stars Nick Nolte as Bob, an aging American thief living in the French city of Nice. Addicted to both heroin and gambling, Bob is in the midst of an extended personal losing streak when he rescues a new girl in town named Anne (Nutsa Kukhianidze) from her pimp. When the opportunity to steal a fortune in rare paintings from a Monte Carlo casino comes along, Bob hopes for a score big enough to let him retire from his life of crime. His only hindrances are Anne's man troubles and his nemesis, local police chief Roger (Tchéky Karyo). The Good Thief also features acting performances by Emir Kusturica (director of Underground and Arizona Dream) and Ralph Fiennes. ~ Tom Vick, All Movie Guide

Nick Nolte - Bob
Nutsa Kukhianidze - Anne
Tchéky Karyo - Roger
Saïd Taghmaoui - Paulo
Gérard Darmon

Neil Jordan's highly stylized thriller The Good Thief has so much going for it, including a fine DVD, that the film may just find an audience on home video, something it couldn't do in the theaters. A 1.85:1 anamorphic image is on one side of the disc, while the full-frame alternative is housed on the flip side. The transfer is stellar in every way. Chris Menges, the veteran director of photography, did an amazing job lighting the film, and it's reproduced brilliantly on this disc. Colors are vibrant and somewhat over-saturated, creating a seedy world few ever see. The 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack is rather standard, without any significant use of the surrounds. Dialogue is difficult to understand at times, as all the actors (other than Nick Nolte, and he's his own story) are from Europe, but that is where subtitles come in handy. The extras are nothing more than ordinary. On the plus side is a exceptional scene-specific commentary from Jordan. He's in fine form as he covers everything from this remake to working with the actors. In addition, there is a mediocre six-minute studio piece about the film with some interviews and seven deleted scenes, also with optional commentary from Jordan. As is often becoming the case with Fox titles, some of the extras are on one side, while the rest are on the other -- an annoyance, as they all could easily fit on each side. Nevertheless, this is a small complaint for an otherwise well produced DVD. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide