The Good Thief

There isn't much one can, or for that matter should say about Neil Jordan's "The Good Thief". Fun and stylish heist movie that drags a bit in the middle but gets back on track by the end. Along for the ride with a weathered thief/drug addict/bon vivant named Bob (Nick Nolte) is a motley crew of characters with varying degrees of fashionable zaniness. The most notable of the lot might be transsexual Philippa (Sarah Bridges) and security-systems expert Vladimir from Vladivostok (played by another raconteur European director Emir Kusturica).

Dialogue, though, sounds like it was written by a teenage comic book artist in a foreign palaver and then translated into English. The fact that most of the actors don't list the language of the British as their mother tongue isn't helping either, especially when the details of a complicated robbery are being discussed. However, this all fits comfortably enough in the overall ambiance of the movie. Choice of music is excellent, enhancing the experience greatly. It was nice to see the REAL south of France with its strong Algerian influences instead of just the usual white bred high society crowd most people associate with Monte Carlo and Nice. In addition to Algeria, we also get some Russia, Bosnia, England..

P.S.: Young actress from Georgia Nutsa Kukhanidze is another bright spot managing for her vulnerable character Anne to also come off very sexy, chic and even debonnaire. Through her confident performance she really sells us on the notion of these hardened 'old' men being infatuated with a 17-year-old crack whore from Bosnia. And they say movies sugarcoat reality... :)

'The Good Thief' is the best film Neil Jordan did since 'Mona Lisa' almost two decades ago. It is a classical and well written robbery story, complex enough to catch the interest, simple enough for the spectator to follow and enjoy, and with the special twist at the end that makes a good script. The main character fits Nick Nolte like life, I can imagine only Humphrey Bogart doing better in this role. There are a few other memorable characters, with the Georgian (from the other Georgia) Nutza Kukhianidze promising to become soon a star if she has enough luck to continue to work with good directors and scripts. The cinematography has a special quality, with final stills after each shot, enhancing a good digital camera work. I also liked the soundtrack, it's a mix of classic, jazz and even Leonard Cohen sounds right for a change. 8/10 on my personal scale - certainly worth seeing.

In `The Good Thief' Nick Nolte plays Bob Montagnet, a down-but-not-yet-out Bogie, a very bright thief, and a heroin addict. Natsa Kukshianidge's femme fatale, Anne, is a 17-year old Bacall. It's the south of France--Nice and Monaco-- and it's time to relieve Monte Carlo of some precious paintings. Picasso is the model for Nolte's scamming talents: Picasso's conflicted painting of a woman with 2 sides to her face is the appropriate analogy for the duality of the young girl, both innocent and depraved, and Nolte's gambler, good and bad as the title suggests. Picasso's being accused of stealing from everyone adds to the allusive charm. The caper involves a Judas deceiver to support director Neil Jordan's frequent Christian motif (Remember `Jude' in "Crying Game"). The ‘crucifixion's' good thief, Nolte's thief, is good to the young Anne by saving her from the pimp. Jordan again joins an unlikely couple (Consider Fergus and Dil in "CG"), here a father figure with an errant daughter.

The winding roads of the Mediterranean shoreline are also fitting metaphor for Nolte's tortuous path to redemption. The requisite drying-out scenes, where Bob handcuffs himself to the bed and rejects Anne's offer of sexual freedom, are effective realism in an otherwise stylish film that eschews clarity and ingenuity in favor of some character development and much atmosphere.

The scenes at the casino are smoother than "Casablanca's," slicker than James Bond's, and lighter than "Croupier's." When Bob and Anne begin their end of the elaborate heist by challenging the house odds, there is little to worry about their losing but much about the philosophy of gambling, of going all the way regardless of the outcome. However, Jordan's take on slick thievery is not really different from that found in the recent `Confidence,' `Heist,' or `Ocean's Eleven.' The denouement is hardly logical or dramatically tight: Does an ex-thief go clean? Does he save his Mary Magdalene? Does he stop his losing streak and addiction? Does he pull off the heist? None of this is the point.

Bob as a "good thief " is all that matters.

And Nolte as a good actor? He is very good.

"The Good Thief " is a classier one-last-great-heist film than "Ocean's 11," in a more exotic Riviera locale with grittier repartee and well-worn actors with many different accents.

The long-time camaraderie among crooks and cops is comfortably reflected, though much back story has to be stretched to explain why American Nick Nolte fits in.

Based on a 1955 French film I haven't seen, "Bob le flambeur," I don't know how much Neil Jordan changed from the original. It has the kind of twists and turns that has strangers in the audience turning to each other at the end to compare notes.

Really odd that Ralph Fiennes's cameo is uncredited, as he's terrific, and much more effective here as a leonine cynic than as a romantic in "Maid in Manhattan."

Most creative transsexual character since "Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert" and neat use of the Polish brothers.

Jordan resists another male fantasy until the end when Nolte finally pairs up with the seductive teen-ager who conveniently announces she has just turned 18 so he can't add statutory rape to his rap sheet. Oh, so then we're supposed to feel happy ever after.

Very nice world-weary multi-lingual soundtrack, including Serge Gainsburg and Leonard Cohen.

I have seen every film directed by Neil Jordan. Being a big fan of his, I didn't want to miss this one. Well, it was the big disappointment of my life. This remake of Bob le Flambeur is horribly directed and acted. The last sequence is just about the best thing of this film, but as for the rest, it was just mediocre, at best.

The idea of putting together these many characters in the Riviera was probably a great thought, but then, the many actors of different nationalities and backgrounds prove to be a hindrance to the story. If one can get over the accent problem, then there is the sound track of this film, which was so hard to hear at all, at least in the theater where I saw it, that you have a double hurdle to get over.

Nick Nolte with his hair dyed a carrot hue looks hideous; he probably was going through a bad period when he made this movie. His take on Bob is fitting with the character's spiral descent into hell because of his drug problem, no doubt. But he is also hard to understand since he whispers and mumbles most of the time. A little more clarity would have helped.

The last moments of the film are very well executed, but as caper films go, this picture doesn't contribute anything to the genre.

Sorry Mr. Jordan, better luck next time out. Maybe leave remakes to mediocre directors. You could not improve in the original one, so why even bother?