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Memorable, crazy movie

Great Film overall

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Taking a break from his heavier Heroic Bloodshed titles of lead characters dying (The Killer, Bullet in the Head, A Better Tomorrow Trilogy) , John Woo returns back to genre which he branded his own with a more playful subject:Two brothers and their sister (raised under a strict art thief father) clear the debt they owe their father by engaging in high-risk heists. A High Valued French painting is believed to be cursed , whomever attempts to steal the painting dies. This Super-Valued Painting , along with a hidden triangle of love between the three con-artist , are the main themes of the movieAnd of course , it features some high class gun-fu featuring Leslie Cheng doing Tom Cruise stunt flips before Tom Cruise was even a thing

Having made the extremely dark and violent films THE KILLER and BULLET IN THE HEAD one after the other, John Woo was in need of a break. He'd had enough of excess violence and bloodshed and wanted to make a more light-hearted flick, which is where ONCE A THIEF comes in. Eschewing the exploration of morality in his earlier films, he sets out with this caper movie which sees Chow Yun-Fat on winning form as an art thief persuaded to take one last job.What follows is a real mix of a movie. For starters, I love John Woo action and it's in short supply here, although he still has time to throw in two or three massive shoot-outs on the kind of scale you know and love. It's quite funny. There will be romance, quirky humour, and then suddenly a dozen automatic weapon-wielding thugs show up and start shooting the heck out of the scenery. There's time for stunts too, with cars rolling down stone steps during one frenetic chase scene and a truly wild climax which is up there with his best as director. Elsewhere the film seems weak. Woo is so intent on referencing his favourite European directors he forgets to put any substance with the style. Also, the humour is completely ridiculous too, absolutely stupid in places, and not really something Western audiences will enjoy. Sometimes Yun-Fat is cute and funny and at other times he acts like a real idiot.It's certainly not a bad film. The heist sequences are handled well and the later complexities of the plot are worth watching, although a long time in coming. Leslie Cheung gives a great performance as Yun-Fat's buddy although Cherie Chung is relegated to 'irritating sidekick'. There are a few twists and turns which are fun to watch and, as mentioned, a great action climax. Highlights include a magician whose tricks are deadly and an excellent exploding microwave moment. Still, this isn't a film I'd want to see again – unlike John Woo's next movie, his outstanding HARD BOILED.

Sorry, guys for the trivial summary ! This is my first review on IMDb, plus I am a Frenchman.It was only when I understood the purpose of this movie, that I was ready to rate it. During the movie, I enjoyed the quality of the picture (colors and lights are great, the music is good too)... The gunfights were OK to me (It's not a typical John Woo bullet-filled movie, and that's a plus to me), the accent of the french businessman funny, and the stupid jokes of the 2 thieves were "cool", the way they defeat their enemies surprising...So I was saying to myself : this was an-above-the-average Kung-Fu and mafia movie when suddenly... I got it ! This movie is full of... love ! John Woo shows his love of Paris, his respect for friendship, the way he would like handicapped people to be treated, and many other things... So, in my opinion, this movie beats every Jackie Chan movie, because it is filled with humanity and humility.I am glad I watched this gem and I recommend it to you.My only complaint is that it's a tiny bit too long.

Really the best movie ever, which shows the world of the high-class thieves. It has been copied several times since its making. For example the use of the French Riviera for a superb car chase. It reminds me of the "Ronin". Or the play with the invisible laser rays can be compared with the "Entrapment". Finally the stylish ball scene, when Cherie Cheung steals the key of the safe. Is it familiar? For years later in the movie called "True Lies" we can find a similar scene like this. So it's an essential action-comedy, which collects the greatest moments of the movie history ("To Catch a Thief", "Raiders of the Lost Ark") into an endless fun although the funny moments are sometimes a little bit embarrassing. It's still highly recommended.