The Good Thief

I saw some postings online about this film so I wanted to check it out. I was even more jazzed when I found it on NetFlix and all.

OK, going into it I knew it was going to be an indie, and not a studio indie film. I read the other postings. So my expectations were very indie based and I also saw that it was 114-mins, so I knew it would be long.

Length aside, I gotta tell you I was pretty impressed with the job RT Herwig did with this film. Being that it was his first film. It was very visual. And when I say that I mean it is the kind of film that you have to watch from the eyes of the characters to understand. It's more like watching them and watching their troubles. Kinda like you were friend with a kid from a dysfunctional family and they invited you over to their house for dinner and you just sat there and watched them. I get the feeling that in an RT Herwig film its all about the characters in relationship to one another and the surroundings they are in. More so then the story they are living in. I know that might not make any sense.

It was not your typical film that was held together with clever writing as is the case with most indie films. Ya know films that are directed by writers that don't have much of a screen language. You know. They have brilliant writing, but I guess they missed the classes where you actually have to have a style. These kinds of films are all about shaky-cam and fast cutting. RT's film is waaaaaaaaaay on the opposite end of this scale. It's just all visual.

This film has a visual style all its own. I'm sure RT sees his world in these emotional colors and tones.

Then to read that he had shot this film in only a week. It was a beautifully shot film. I love how RT just hangs on his actors and allows them to follow thru on a thought after a scene has played out. Brilliant. But if you are from the mindset that films need to be quick, quick, quick, and cut, cut, cut, and witty banter line after line; then you might so miss the boat on this one.

i belong to a film club in san jose, california and was fortunate enough to see this film at our october, 2002 event. the event was even better because rt [the director] was there in the flesh for q&a.

this is a thinking persons film. lots of metaphor and use of older movie techniques. while the film may be flawed and overly ambitious, it really is the story of one man's journey towards absolution.

the director made this film for himself. if you like it, ok; if you don't that's ok too. what's important is that rt really did think this fillm through....but you might not know that if you had not heard him discuss the film. each scene was deliberately set up, actors kept from one another until their scenes, etc.

this is an excellent start for a first time feature director. i look forward to his future features. i agree with rt that those that don't like this film now will one day look at his work as a body and then say "now i get it" or more importantly "now i get him".

i like this film hence the rating. it probably won't ever get a release...never was rt's intention...but will play film festivals. go see it with an open mind and heart: think about sin, good v. bad, redemption and absolution. nothing is concrete in a metaphor....

My Wife and I recently attended a screening of "The Good Thief" in Doylestown, PA, and unlike other features by local directors that we'd seen, we both felt that this was a first rate effort. Director RT Herwig's first feature effort has the style of film noir of the 30's & 40's, a script that gives the audience plenty to think about after they leave the theater, & a strong cast that delivers the goods. Christopher Kadish, looking very much like a round faced DeNiro, gives a most believable performance as Chris, an ex con recently released from prison and trying very hard to straighten out his life. The entire cast makes it look like this is a slice of life that we're looking in on and not a performance, a feeling enhanced by long loving shots and not any quick & jarring cuts. A must see.

I really want thank you all for the great conversation you've all added here on IMDb regarding my film. That's really what this is all about. The sharing of ideas and opinions, etc. Kudos to you all. When I had set out to make this film I made it with the hopes that there would be one thing each person watching it could take away from it. Good, bad, or indifferent. To me that's art. That's what film-making is all about. It's not about pleasing everyone at all times. It's about experimenting and learning. That's what makes directing so exciting. That said, I will take what I learned on this film and add it to my next one. Progressing each time. Hoping you all will stick around for the ride. All the best. - RT

I talked to a few people who worked on this film, so I quickly rented the DVD when it was released. This is R.T. Herwigs's first and most like last film. He seems to lack any knowledge on how to make a good film. Others have said that Herwig has taken an artistic approach in an attempt to explain why this film is so bad.

Too many canted angles – the look of the film reminds me of the Joker's hideout on the old Batman TV series. Canted angles work if they help portray a characters mental state, but having every single scene shot at an angle waters down the effect.

The principal actors do an adequate job. But the supporting actors are poor in their craft. Christopher's mother is too young for the part.

Horrible DVD transfer is full of bad splices plus the poor DVD rendering is full of noise and artifacts. Its not even encoded for DVD wide screen mode which is the first anamorphic DVD I've come across. Other annoyances include: - The street people are unconvincing – too clean cut. - Actors give long soliloquies on how miserable they are. - Too many people have Irish accents; hey it's the year 2004 not 1850! - Lighting is half-baked; just using a single key light with no fill. The gaffer either did a poor job or perhaps it's another artistic touch! - Melodramatic acting. Can't understand why Christopher decided to take the crime job and then later refuses to go through with it. His character was inconsistent.