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The Good Thief (2003)
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Synopsis: Set against the glitzy backdrop of the French Riviera and its seedy underworld is Academy Award-winner Neil Jordan’s clever, sexy caper, THE GOOD THIEF. Bob Montagnet (Nick Nolte) is about to gamble it all on the casino heist of a lifetime; a spectacular sleight of hand - two heists, one real,... Set against the glitzy backdrop of the French Riviera and its seedy underworld is Academy Award-winner Neil Jordan’s clever, sexy caper, THE GOOD THIEF. Bob Montagnet (Nick Nolte) is about to gamble it all on the casino heist of a lifetime; a spectacular sleight of hand - two heists, one real, one not, but which is which? Inspired by the Jean Pierre Melville classic BOB LE FLAMBEUR, THE GOOD THIEF is a remake of an original that features a complex plot full of copies and originals. The film’s hero draws his inspiration from the man he regards as the greatest thief and copycat of all...Picasso. Under the watchful eye of Roger (Tchéky Karyo), a policeman who would as soon save his longtime opponent as arrest him, Montagnet assembles a team that consists of partners Paulo (Saїd Taghmaoui) and Raoul (Gérard Darmon), technical mastermind Vladimer (Emir Kusturica), former-drug-dealer-turned-informant Said (Ouassini Embarek), Anne (Nutsa Kukhianidze), a young Eastern European girl Montagnet rescued from prostitution, and the perfect complement to a double theft - identical twins Albert and Bertram (Mark and Mike Polish). THE GOOD THIEF also features Ralph Fiennes as a ruthless art dealer. THE GOOD THIEF was produced by Stephen Woolley, John Wells and Seaton McLean and financed by ALLIANCE ATLANTIS. It was shot by Oscar®-winning cameraman Chris Menges (THE KILLING FIELDS, THE MISSION) and Jordan’s long-standing team of skilled technicians. The film is a Stephen Woolley/John Wells/Alliance Atlantis production of a Neil Jordan film co-produced by Tracey Seaward and executive produced by Neil Jordan, Kristin Harms and Thierry de Navacelle. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Nick Nolte, Tcheky Karyo, Nutsa Kukhianidze, Emir Kusturica, Ralph Fiennes
Screenwriter: Neil Jordan
Producer: Seaton McLean, Stephen Woolley, John Wells, Tracey Seaward
Composer: Elliot Goldenthal
Reviews
Nolte's hard lived, leather-lined face looks like a Muncie road map, and fits robber Bob to each crease.
The best and most enjoyable English-language crime picture since Jackie Brown.
When it comes to movies about one last, high-stakes score, Nolte in The Good Thief pales next to Gene Hackman's low-keyed brilliance in Heist.
Es casi una película hecha por divertimento, lo cual no está nada mal, pero no hay que pedirle mucho más que eso.
Ao contrário do impecável anti-herói do original, Nick Nolte confere vulnerabilidade ao protagonista e, no processo, leva esta refilmagem a superar a produção de 1955.
A fine film: Jordan creates the seedy ambience and Nolte provides the complex performance that together carry this film through a few minor rough patches.
Watching an actor at the top of his game is a pleasure even if the film is only good, not great.
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