Street Thief

Anyone who has seen this should know it's a hard movie to review without giving away the big secret associated with it.

As I was watching it, I was surprised it hadn't been picked up by a distributor but after it ended, I realized why. Unfortunately it's not a secret that appears at the end of the movie and if you do too much poking around before watching this, you'll be able to figure it out on your own which will ruin your experience. I highly suggest seeing this without doing too much research on it. Not wanting to go blind into it? The movie follows a thief who cases places and then robs them. He goes from one job to the next staying two steps ahead of the people filming him by being mysterious but very revealing at the same time.

This is a well-shot film that also does a fine job of holding your attention. It's really captivating from the first few minutes and the movie doesn't let up until the end. However, the secret associated with the movie brings it down a bit. Highly recommended otherwise.

Hey anyone looking for a fresh look at a criminal movie, this is it. I saw this at the Tribeca Film Festival and I was blown away. The Q&A with director afterwords was great because people couldn't grasp what they just saw. It is so real its scary. Too bad this movie hasn't been picked up yet because it would do great both in box office and in rentals. I'm not sure if its still playing in festivals but if it is playing near you go see it. You wont be disappointed. The filmmakers follow a thief on his routine of scouting locations and prepping for the heist. The thief is aware of the camera and actually isn't always compliant with the filmmakers during interview sessions. In fact he doesn't even allow the filmmakers to go inside most places and actually film what he's doing. He is mic'ed so we only hear whats going on. This effect makes the film seem even more real. I don't want to ruin the movie for anyone but the one heist he does allow the filmmakers inside for is quiet amazing to watch. I remember being on the edge of my seat and usually I look around the audience to see everyone else,s reactions, being a filmmaker myself, but this scene I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. So again I strongly recommend this film to everyone. I believe this is one of the best films of the year and the best one I saw at Tribeca.

Once in awhile a truly great film flies so far under the radar it's tragic. Enter Malik Bader's STREET THIEF. I've returned to this movie over the years probably more so than most of my favorite films. Something about it just strikes the right chords in me.

Two filmmakers document the daring crimes of a master thief named Kaspar Carr as he creeps through the city planning and executing break-ins, robberies, and jewelry heists-all while staying two steps ahead of the cops and any other threat to his meticulous hustle. Think MAN BITES DOG but with a hard-edged, charismatic master thief at the enter of the action. Carr smokes like a wildfire, swears like a sailor, he's street smart, calculating and cool-and he's dangerously good at his job.

Shot on grainy 16mm, the film is intense, suspenseful with an in-your-face verism that absolutely feels like the events unfolding are real life. It's a faux doc, crime film, noir, and character study all rolled into one. Writer/director/star Malik Bader's charismatic performance as our lone wolf protagonist gives the film a rugged realism, and the open ending always stays with me awhile. I never get tired of watching this movie. It probably sounds like I'm overselling it, but whatever, I love it and I think it deserves more attention.

I can highly recommend seeing this movie for it's entertainment value!

I really liked the perceived realism of it, especially when considering:

A) This is a fairly independent production ("non-Hollywood").

B) The plot and style was quite original!

Enjoyed it a lot.

That's all.

It's a hard movie to summarize without spoiling it.

Saw it at the Chicago Int'l Film Festival last night, and if this does receive a theatrical release, I'd recommend going. Per the director, there may already be plans to release it on cable and DVD, and theatrical options for New York/Los Angeles/Chicago are being explored. Keep your fingers crossed.

I'm sure other people will add more useful comments, but someone had to get this started.