Street Thief

This a sad stab at an actual documentary. The dialogue is consistently filled with hypocrisy it makes so easy to see the transparency. I usually root for the antihero, but in this case I'm watching to the end in the hopes that Kaspar gets busted and is sentenced to 20 or 30 years! You guys hungry?

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!

I actually just stumbled upon this title on Netflix recently and watched it based on reviews there. I have to say Malik Bader is pretty hairy and not so pleasing to look at but I think this adds to the griminess of his character, Kasper Karr. The fact that it is filmed in a documentary style makes it even better in my opinion. In an interview I read online Bader talks about how the documentary style makes the crime more realistic and it also provides for a unique character study feel for the viewer. In doing this it is also letting the viewer in on the street thief "profession" and showing a side most I think including myself are not used to seeing. That is of course an inside view of a street thief from the thief perspective and not the police or law enforcement side. Another point Bader makes in the interview I read online is that most crime oriented films don't bring you the realism you crave. But this film definitely does with the play by play of Karr's routine and his cold nature. It could almost be likened to an episode of dirty jobs! I'll give it an 8 for its edgy perspective on thievery and for its somewhat character study feel.

While I know there are rabid fans of "Man Bites Dog" I cannot agree with a previous reviewers parallel between the two films. "Man Bites Dog" is a dark, and I mean, DARK satire on how society holds criminals up and how "normal" people (in this case the film makers) can get caught up in the moment. Not with this movie. The "film makers" approach the subject with cold calculated view. There are no scenes of children being murdered like in "man bites dog" in which the film makers just keep filming. In this "documentary" the film makers take a different path. While it's easy to judge the killer in "man bites dog" as a true sociopath the thief in "Street Thief" is a bit more complex. This is a guy with complete control over himself and his actions. To be quite honest I was (God help me) kind of rooting for the guy as he did his "scores" around the Chicago area. The guy is a likable jerk. He can be tolerated yet understood. Why? He's a criminal, plain and simple. He doesn't mug for the camera or brag about how he's King Salami and can't be stopped. He KNOWS the proverbial clock is ticking. Therefore the ending is a pleasant surprise that makes you want to watch it again.