Once a Thief 4K 1991

After all, the distributors like to make a big deal out of it. “They only stop to reload” - this is the slogan of John Woo's ‘Once a Thief’, which, however, can easily mislead any viewer. To be honest, it is much more suitable for 'The Hired Assassin' or 'Hardboiled' by the same director, as this picture is of a completely different tone, though with Woo's trademark rhythm.

The plot of the movie tells about three friends thieves, true virtuosos of their work, who can steal anything, but their main objects - expensive paintings. Of course, they steal not for themselves, and for someone to order, and for a lot of money. However, you do not always get what you want to get in the end.

Woo's usual plot about people outside the law is presented here in a different form from the previous pictures: the script is not made in a single key, does not go on a rising trend, and suddenly jumps from an adventurous semi-dramatic action movie with a slight touch of humor to a rather dorky action-comedy, and this is the main drawback of the film - it lacks more integrity. On the other hand, this flaw is the main one for exactly one simple reason - it is the only essential one. And if something else catches your eye, it is forgotten after five minutes.

However, the script is not alone. The picture has an impressive list of attractions, such as: style, color, interesting plot, non-settling action, excellent action scenes, silly but funny humor, inventive scenes of kidnapping paintings (in full) and, of course, first-class actor Chow Yun-Fat, one of John Woo's favorite actors (like Johnny Depp in Tim Burton or John Goodman in the Coen brothers).

After watching it, you immediately conclude: not a masterpiece. But movies are not divided only into masterpieces and complete nonsense. Actually, 'Once a Thief' is an entertaining and fascinating movie, quite cozy and not annoying, with certain flaws, but also generic merits.