The Sex Thief

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.

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.

This Brit Comedy stars David Warbeck as a masked thief whose dalliance with crime has more to do with fun and passion than robbery. He is a criminal by choice, not by necessity. As two policemen attempt to track him down--offering plenty of raunchy commentary along the way--THE SEX THIEF delivers one funny punch line after another.

This version entitled 'Her Family Jewels' dubiously resurfaced in the UK years later under the premise that semi-famous British thesps (Dianne Keen, Christopher Biggins) had once appeared in an X-rated movie. RADA trained Michael Armstrong who acts in the film as a breast obsessed cop and wrote the film under demonic alter ego 'Edward Hyde', is most familiar to exploitation fans for the much banned Mark of the Devil as well as the autobiographical Eskimo Nell. Viewers familiar with the latter will no doubt feel a sense of deja vu here as several characters and scenarios make premature appearances in The Sex Thief. Another discovery is actress Gloria Walker aka Gloria Maley who went from being worked over by Warbeck's buzzing 'simulator' to providing blood and guts effects for the gruesome Inseminoid (1980)- a more diverse career move is hard to imagine. The Sex Thief rises above the typical British sexpo thanks to some pointed raunchiness, a surprisingly subversive script and a charismatic leading man. Warbeck was once apparently the mysterious house breaking protagonist of the Milk Tray ads whilst director Martin Campbell recently made the big budget James Bond movie (and is linked to the remake of Alfred Hitchcocks stunning film 'The Birds') two things worth pondering while you watch The Sex Thief.

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.

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.