Honorables delincuentes

A crime lord decides to double-cross a professional thief that the higher-ups in his organization hired for a food stamp heist. Naturally, the professional thief evades the trap, but then decides to get even. As things escalate the cops become more and more interested. So do the chiefs of the organization, who realize that all this unwanted attention is bad for business, and finally find themselves having to arbitrate the situation.

This is a well made crime movie. The movie starts with a humorous scene featuring a cameo by Janeane Garofalo where she and Alec Baldwin deadpan some lies to each other. This scene doesn't lead to anywhere, but is very hip.

The movie goes pretty fast through its story with plenty of smart, breezy dialogue. As always, Alec Baldwin is good, but is outshown by Michael Jai White and Andre Braugher, who play the crime lord and his top lieutenant respectively. White plays a not so bright but vicious crime lord with upwardly mobile aspirations. Braugher hits just the right notes of dismayed resignation as he contemplates his boss' follies. Rebecca DeMornay also has a great character to play - a hard-boiled police detective who has seen it all but remains a half-step behind the action. There are lots of well-crafted minor characters as well. The sound track also deserves a special note (no pun intended).

It you've seen all the Tarantino and Tarantino-esque movies, and are looking for more, this movie would fit the bill.

This film has a good story, but you have to have a certain appreciation for warped humor to appreciate it. The characters range from mildly unusual to downright peculiar. Pointy (Michael Jai White) is a black crime boss who is trying desperately to be a yuppie, playing golf at the country club, owning a French restaurant and lecturing on culture to anyone who will listen. All this is highly incongruous with the drug dealing, cap-busting realities of his crime syndicate, which makes him a droll and entertaining character. Mackin (Alec Baldwin) is a meticulous thief, who does occasional heists for the Mafia. He is an obsessive collector of vinyl jazz albums and takes his dog on capers because he wants to spend quality time with him.

When Mackin does a food stamp heist for Pointy, Pointy double-crosses him. This sets up Mackin's revenge, which encompasses most of the film. The vendetta keeps escalating and the Mafia starts losing patience with both antagonists, introducing a third element into the conflict. The plot has a number of interesting twists and the climax is quite unexpected.

First time director Scott Sanders' direction was solid but nothing special. The music, especially the jazz, was excellent. His work with the cast was nicely done, adding a sardonic tone to the entire movie, although I thought at times he got carried away with the disjointed humor.

The acting was generally very good. Alec Baldwin's quirky portrayal of this painstaking thief was delightful. Rebecca De Mornay played a very different character than we are used to seeing from her. She was terrific as the tough and impassive cop with an understated and sarcastic wit. However, the best performances were given by Michael Jai White and Andre Braugher. White stole the show with his oh-so-refined mob boss impression. Braugher was great as his cool and calculating lieutenant, with nerves of steel and a brilliant criminal mind.

Overall, this was a good crime story that meandered a bit too much from the main plot. I rated it a 7/10. Add a point if you like wry incongruous humor because this film has plenty.

This flick has me laughing out loud ALONE in my apartment. I found the dialog a total trip. I love Andre Braugher for "Homicide," God bless it. I grew some respect for Alec Baldwin, who I've never seen play this kind of role. This thing is truly worth seeing if you have a quirky, dirty, urban sense of humor. Short, pointless and entertaining.

Alec Baldwin gives an edgy performance, not unlike his similar character in "Miami Blues", as a professional thief who sometimes works for the Chicago mob. When a deal in Detroit goes bad and he is set up by the local hoods, Baldwin's escalating war of revenge pushes the mob to take appropriate action. Good character development, smart dialog, and an excellent supporting cast, lift "Thick as Thieves" well above the usual crime drama. There are unexpected moments of dark humor, intermingled with the not too subtle violence. This smart, action-packed film is far more entertaining than some of Tatantino's supposed "classics". Seek it out. - MERK

Like Supercords, I regret that Scott Sanders 's Thick as thieves is the sole movie he wrote/directed up to this day. Not having read the novel, I cannot speak of the respective merits of the book and the screenplay; but the screenplay /direction combination results in a very entertaining, swift-paced, well-knit, and clear movie ( in spite of the intricacy of simultaneous action at three different levels: the mob's, Baldwin's, and the cops'), with many welcome humorous touches ; good editing, then, and good musical score, too. Another asset is the cast, apparently selected with great care, up to the smallest parts: if Michael Jay White and Andre Braugher got rightly-deserved praise, all the players rate from very good to excellent: Alec Baldwin and his sidekicks, Bruce Greenwood ( almost unrecognizable ) and Ricky Harris, mobsters Richard Edson and Reginald Ballard,amusing Janeane Garofalo, quietly effective and attractive Rebecca de Mornay, and little-known but accomplished actor Robert Miano as the deceptively mild-mannered second-in command of the local mafia.