The Sex Thief

This is a very watchable soft core sex movie and very representative view of early 70s London. Not so much the romancing cat burglar but the length of hair, the sideburns, the pubic hair, the police represented as more interested in seizing porn than much else, the mini-skirts, the surprisingly dowdy London streets. Also the emphasis on sex and in particular the difference between the women who seem keen to have it and the men who seem more keen to talk about it. The main premise of the film, involving David Warbeck as a burglar who gets so involved with the ladies they don't mind being robbed is a good one and the direction is good. Some of the performers are better in the bed scenes than out but what do you expect when the sex is the main raison d'etra. Not particularly sexy but there is plenty of flesh on display and the scenes are pretty vigorous. Enjoyable.

In anticipation of Cleaner (2025), I have decided to binge through the filmography of Martin Campbell and that journey starts off with The Sex Thief (1973) and it was interesting to say the least.

Positives for The Sex Thief (1973): For a first director, Martin Campbell did a good job at making a sex comedy. There are a lot of sex scenes that will entertain some people. The movie knows what it is and fully embraces it. The acting is good enough for what the movie is asking for. And finally, the movie can be weird in ways that did make me smile.

Negatives for The Sex Thief (1973): There isn't much of a plot or story for me to be invested in. The movie is just porn extended to feature length. I did lose interest multiple times throughout the runtime because I'm not into porn. And finally, I don't know what the purpose of this movie was supposed to be.

Overall, The Sex Thief (1973) is a movie that is certainly not for me, but I can see some people enjoying it.

Seven other reviews on here so far (mid 2025) and they offer some perceptive views of this film, and an amazing amount of film trivia, lots of info about the director (would later do a Bond film, wow!), other credits for the writers, and some of the work of the more notable players.

One mystery comment was by 'Jared', who says :- "I don't know what the purpose of this movie was supposed to be." . . .but he claims to have seen zillions of movies?!

Well, back in the 60s and more especially 70s, the British movie industry was largely on its knees, apart from a few stand-out offerings.

But it did knock out a lot of 'sexploitation' flicks, aimed at a young male audience, trying to catch them in late-night (Fri & Sat) showings between getting a skinful down the pub and an early hours curry before staggering back home.

Lots of these films are pretty embarrassing when seen years later, and in the cold light of day, and it's a surprising list of British acting talent that got some work out of them.

I hadn't heard of the male lead in this one -- apparently he was the guy in the famous Milk Tray ads, so he probably got seen by far more folk than some well-known stars (even if they didn't know his name!).

Diane Keen was in it too, later in a good few sitcoms, a Sweeney film, and in later years about a million episodes of the BBC daytime 'Doctors'. She might have had a romp in The Sweeney, but I doubt she ever rocked a bed as much, or showed as much, in her career as in this film?!

The 'Confessions Of' series was a popular set of this type of film, and quite well known, they had a comedy element, whereas this one just had a few funny lines, and didn't play it for farce as they did.

So, lots of tits and bums, a few snatches (!!) of pubic hair (one in a delightful heart shape!), that was the voyeur crowd taken care of, but a fraction more plot and story than usual. A few jibes at the tabloid paper industry and police too, easy targets?! I see that Diane Keen is getting on for 80 now, I wonder if she can remember it?? I don't suppose too many of the 70s audience can either?

Unless you like this genre or want to see an example of this genre, there is nothing to like here. I happen to be a big fan of 70s movies and have seen many 100s and for me this was all this movie was -- another movie to round out my attempt to see as many 70s films as possible. The plot here is paper thin and the ending highly predictable. The soft porn scenes of sex is what separates this movie from other bad movies. The dress, sideburns, way of speaking, cars, etc. were far more interesting to me than anything else. Without this the movie is a 2 or 3. It's amazing to me that these films got funded and made, but I guess in an era before the internet the soft porn angle was a draw.

THE SEX THIEF is a British sexploitation movie from 1974 with a surprising amount of professional qualities given the usual standards of the genre. It has a plot, for instance, rather than a series of random vignettes, and although it's quite obviously a comedy, it's also rather serious in places. There's - gasp! - characterisation too, and a script co-written by Hammer scribe Tudor Gates and MARK OF THE DEVIL helmer Michael Armstrong, amusingly writing together under the pseudonym Edward Hyde. THE SEX THIEF was directed by Kiwi-born Martin Campbell, who has gone on to such famous features as CASINO ROYALE and GREEN LANTERN, and he gives the production a fine and slick look.

The tale, about a notorious cat burglar who more often than not seduces his female victims, is fairly familiar stuff, but enlivened by some fun performances. David Warbeck, well known for a career in Italian exploitation, is a delight as the titular character in what is a surprisingly show-all performance. The engaging supporting cast features Armstrong himself in support, alongside the lovely Jennifer Westbrook as a kung fu fighter, Harvey Hall (the butler in THE VAMPIRE LOVERS) as Warbeck's contact, Christopher Biggins, and plenty more besides. There's plenty of rather explicit sex scenes here and lots of nudity, as you'd expect, but take that all out and the film would still work.