Plot: What’s it about?
Jim (Leslie Cheung), Cherie (Cherie Chung), and Joe (Chow Yun-Fat) have been a team since they were children. But instead of playing games and such, this trio spent their youth as thieves, stealing in order to survive. The three were raised by the same man, but they’ve learned most of their craft themselves. Now all three have grown up, but they continue their illegal ways, though the payoff is much larger these days. As art thieves, the three find themselves traveling all across the globe, working for clients with immense amounts of cash. And that means the fees are also immense, so the art realm has three enemies on the prowl. In the field, no one is better than the three friends and of course, that means their services are in high demand. Even so, the trio has decided to hang up their lockpicks for good. But not until one final caper, the one that should set them up for life, the biggest score of their careers. A painting that is worth millions is the target, but it is well known for being called a cursed artwork. The client is mysterious, but with such a large payoff, the three have no choice but to take on the assignment. When the painting’s curse begins to cause some rifts in the trio however, things get complicated. Can they hold it together for this one last job, or will the trio implode from within?
Not to be confused with the made for television clunker of the same name, this Once a Thief is a solid overall picture. As you’d expect from the tandem of director John Woo and star Chow Yun-Fat, this movie has ample action, but this is not an all out action epic. Instead, you’ll find the action woven in with comedic elements, even some moments of hilarious satire. If you’ve seen a lot of Hong Kong cinema, you will be able to see some spoof sequences, including some nods to the Yun-Fat picture God of Gamblers. The humor is played for camp value, as it has some slapstick, some verbal banter, and as I mentioned, some satiric content. Not all the jokes work, but it makes for an entertaining experience, to be sure. Its fun to watch Yun-Fat in this movie also, as he shows off his comedic skills and he almost comes off as an Asian Benny Hill at times. But most viewers will be interested in the action, which is well crafted and effective, but in as much volume as some might want, as the body count here isn’t too extreme. The mixture of gunplay and martial arts works well however, so action fans should be pleased. The movie is good, but fails to be great, due in most part to a disjointed texture in some respects. Even so, Once a Thief is a worthwhile movie and Columbia has presented it uncut and in the original language, so check it out.
The main man here is Chow Yun-Fat, but he plays a kind of part most folks haven’t seen him in, one that isn’t all action. Of course, he has starred in some of the best action flicks of all time, so perhaps its only natural we think of him as an action star. But unlike most action stars, this one can act in all sorts of productions, from action to romance to pure drama and as shown in Once a Thief, he can even handle comedic roles. Yun-Fat is asked to use almost of his skills here, as he has to dabble in numerous genres. But he does so with ease, bringing a real sense of charisma and chemistry to his character. He plays the ladies man well, even better than I had expected and his performance seems to get better with time. That is to say, you pick up on more subtle character work as you watch, so be sure to revisit Once a Thief. This isn’t his finest hour in cinema, but as usual, Chow Yun-Fat hands in a superb effort. Other films with Yun-Fat include The Replacement Killers, Full Contact, Hard Boiled, A Better Tomorrow, Prison on Fire, and The Killer. The cast also includes Leslie Cheung (The Phantom Lover, Ashes of Time), Cherie Chung (Peking Opera Blues, Walk on Fire), and Chu Kong (The Killer, Fong Sai-Yuk).
Video: How does it look?
Once a Thief is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, with a full screen edition also included on this dual layered disc. The image here is much better than the version released by Tai Seng, with added refinements thanks to the anamorphic enhancement. As expected, the print is still on the dull side and shows some grain, but no serious problems surface. The visuals don’t bound off the screen thanks to the print condition, but the colors look decent and contrast is solid. I do think some restoration could produce a cleaner, sharper visual presentation, but until then, this is as good as it gets for Once a Thief.
Audio: How does it sound?
The Tai Seng disc offered a Dolby Digital 5.1 option, but it was thin and ineffective, so its exclusion here is no real loss. Instead we have a 2.0 surround track that is solid, but not as active as you might expect. But then again, these Asian action movies, even one like this from 1990, don’t often have explosive audio. I suppose some remix work could liven it up, but it remains passable and has some spark when needed. You can choose between the original Cantonese soundtrack and an English dub, so everyone should be satisfied in that respect. I can’t imagine why anyone would go for the dub option, but its there, just in case. I found dialogue to be clean and well presented, with no volume errors or other issues to mention in this review. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes an awful promotional spot for Once a Thief and Full Contact, but no trailer for the featured picture.
