No gimmickry. No CGI. No quick jump cuts. No exaggerated sound effects. No bombastic symphonic music. No rapid fire dialogue. Just pure atmosphere and artistry.
Brilliant soundtrack by Tangerine Dream, beautiful visuals by Michael Mann, neon blue credits, cool 1980s American autos, expert breaking and entering, utterly sublime cinema.
Almost ten minutes of pure cinematic gold from Michael Mann, and the immortal Tangerine Dream. You won't see anything as good as this in any film today. It's that simple.
You don't get any more cool badass than Caan in this movie. Probably his best performance in ANY movie. And Robert Prosky's mob boss character is the best 2 faced killer I think I've ever seen. His "talk" to Frank after his thugs kill Belushi and kick Franks ass is about as dead cold as it gets. Brilliant acting by both.
@@jorgmehring2660 Yep! Sad but it's true.. I'm not a fan of Michael Mann's scoring style but nevertheless his style is original and authentic. That is what really pissed me off
For those who haven't already seen it, be sure to check out James Caan's interview about this scene, years later. Apparently Michael Mann just ... politely ... brought in a real safe, and said, "Okay, Jimmy: Get in."
Yep, great endoscopy. :^) The attention to detail in this film is amazing. I understand all the tools were real, including the drill and the oxy-lance (now we know what that is!), as was the safe, I believe. They had a professional ex-con on hand as consultant! :^D
I love the way they have a separate car where they put the equipment in, then they strip off the workman’s coveralls in the alley to avoid any evidence (possible metal shavings) and lastly, the drop site where they store the equipment and work cars. This is just a spectacularly done opening sequence to a film.
Pure andrenaline! Thief explodes with this opening scene; Tangerine Dream, one of my all time favourite bands , just annihilates with one of their best tracks. The scene should have won an academy award for best use of sound and vision.
I saw this in the theater , and was in awe of Manns atmosphere and the characters in the film . Cann was excellent in this film and it also gave us a music of Tangerine Dream . To Me this is a classic .
Not just good music but a really good crime flick, Caan at his peak, Prosky, Weld are also really good, In fact they are all good and this is very realistic for its day ( does not seem 36 years old!)
I first saw this movie a few months ago. I'm 40 and have been an avid movie watcher my whole life... I don't go in for rating movies in terms of "favorite", etc., but this just hit me as nailing it. It's a movie made when "shit was real", in my lifetime, and conveys that reality brilliantly. I don't call movies my "favorite", but if I did.... This is probably it.
Brilliant film making and a great cast. I saw an interview with James Caan, a few years ago and he said this was one of his favourite movies and he was very proud of it.. a great movie..
Cinematic Brilliance! Nobody, I mean nobody knows how to combine acting,ambience and music the way Michael Mann does! Manhunter is another one of his masterpieces.
I wonder how much the radio man got for sitting in the car watching the scanner. And why does Mr Cann toss all the wedding rings?? Doesn't he know the stones can be removed, re-cut, and sold off separately?? There had to be over $600k or $700k in rings there alone. As long as he was in there he shoulda bagged them. Instead he throws them across the room...
@@gregmiletti2948 It was probably easier to move the unmounted stones outright than to find a buyer willing to do the work, or to do it himself and risk holding the hot goods in the meantime, then find people willing to buy both the stones and the metal.
This was probably the second time I saw James Caan, next to The Godfather. I most definitely became enamored with James Caan. Just like the Godfather (i’ve been watching since 1972 ) so whenever I see “Thief” I’m there! The ending song really moves me.
Safety chain for magnetic drill press in horizontal position is correct. If there is power outage or circuit breaker trips due to high motor current,equals loss of magnetic field and disengagement from metal surface,weight of drill motor may snap bit. Alternative to chain is telescopic cradle with rubber tip for friction against floor. Not sure if OSHA has this occupation covered? (:-)
So good all round. The 80's feel, lighting, the rain in the alley, car is barely visible, awesome searing soundtrack, just gripping with only a few words, this crew had it nailed down tight. Best of it is wee can still make movies like this but nobody seems to want to. This is an absaloute classic as alot of michael manns films were. Had that edge. Genius of film making. R.i.P Jimmy caan. Had something about him in his prime. Made viewers want to watch.
Certainly one of the best scores ever! They made this all over the Near North Side of Chicago in late '79 early '80, and I was in the area when they were filming. The co-stars you mention were the rogue cops pestering Caan! 2 cops played Leo's underlings! I'm a pretty industrial dude, and I'm surprised they showed techniques like this so close to the way it's done. I've got experience with lance bars, and ripping out door locks with dent pullers will sometimes work. Drilling the safe is similar.
@@HAWKSWIN2013 Yep, some things were filmed on western! I think the Green Mill scene was across the street from Lane Tech. The car lot on fire was too! I knew all the locations they filmed it in, like Tex's Truck Parts, the Finkl Steel plant, Lissner Corp Scrap Metal garage, and so on! I worled on the final demo of the Finkl Steel plant, and all over in general in that area in the '80s (Finkl just a few years ago). That area is one of the most altered urban landscapes I have EVER seen!! From the "rusty" and dark Goose Island area of the '80s era nothing remains!! It is all Yuppieville now!! I can hardly know where it all was now it is so "gone"!!! I have the greatest memories of my "night moves" among all those industrial corridors!
I love American cars of the 1980s. Sure they were large but they were beautiful to look at it and had a sensous and sexy look. That American cars these days just don't have.
I don't know if James Caan was breaking the fourth wall when he sat down in that chair and started smoking up in that one scene and he was looking straight at us. This movie is one of my favorites.
Mann's cool sense of style with visuals and music is on full display here. The first time I saw Thief I was literally disappointed that this scene had to end.
The music and back-drop certainly dump the viewer in the middle of the action at street level. I always liked the way "Frank" clears out the safe with such delicate care, discarding some items and selecting others as more suitable.
Such an handsome and luxurious film to see in a Great Movie House. The small screen insults this effort. Swagger, tension, artistry, pacing, killer score. This 'opening' is almost a brilliant short film into itself...
Recall the "What would Jesus drive?" campaign . . ? Dunno, but I always thought that Satan would definitely have opted for a black 1979 Cadillac Eldorado.
absolutely badass movie. one of my favorites. I first saw this in 1980 I had no idea what I was about to get into. I still watch this movie all the time. and this is 2018 now.
When someone ask you "what was that thing so called Electronic Music with no dance, alcohol and drugs", simply give him this link ! Adrenaline and TD at his best !
This film is so much more intricate than ‘Heat’. They did a similar thing in their first score by ignoring everything else and just taking the bonds.. how would they convert that untraceably into $$$?
i believe it was Robert P. first film. still the best opening sequence/music collaboration. love the sonic guitar/feedback at 6.40. r.i.p.....EF RIP......JC.
Absolutely stunning audioviz, the best the 80s (and since) had to offer. From the moment the synths set in, I was hooked! BTW, apparently 8 guys on here owned the safe. ;^)
Don't know who the DP was for the movie but someone knows how to use a camera. Focus and angles while cracking safe give you the hands on feel of being there. Some scenes from "The Asphalt Jungle" have good technical points that give substance to the film also.
Brilliant indeed----every aspect: visuals, soundtrack, mood---a perfect handing of the torch, from the also-great gritty New York-centric heist and other related films of the '70s, to the synthesizer-rific streets of Chicago in the early '80s. Mann brilliantly opened the next chapter for gritty urban cinema in the '80s, when Chicago and LA looked, and sounded, great on the silver screen. I'm wondering if there are any locksmith types, safe-crackers or general tinkerers who can comment on how authentic this movie's safe-blowing scenes were. Could one or two guys break into such elaborate, thick-doored safes this quickly/easily in real life?
I wish Caan had gotten to work with more great directors like maybe Pakula or Lumet or Scorsese or even be in some movies like Peter Yates' Friends of Eddie Coyle or Bullitt or even stuff like the Yakuza by Sydney Pollak. For my money he was as good as anyone in the 70s even guys like De Niro and Pacino and i really wish he had gotten to show that in better movies.
One of the greatest openings in any movie.
Yes , this opening and Heat are awesome
No gimmickry. No CGI. No quick jump cuts. No exaggerated sound effects. No bombastic symphonic music. No rapid fire dialogue. Just pure atmosphere and artistry.
Today, Gen Z would see this scene and think "It's taking too long!"
@@rufuspipemos Sorry to burst your bubble...
@@Alexander_Snowden
Brilliant soundtrack by Tangerine Dream, beautiful visuals by Michael Mann, neon blue credits, cool 1980s American autos, expert breaking and entering, utterly sublime cinema.
Yeah Mike Mann has always used these new age music soundtracks. Really unique, chic, and cool
I discovered Tangerine dream like 8 years ago and it changed my life tbh
@@DACFalloutRanger How so?
@@filippocorti6760 took me on a wonderful journey through a whole genre of music I never knew existed.
The absolute insane thing this was nominated for a razzie for worst soundtrack!
They were not kidding with this movie.
Chicago at it's Grittiest...
nnnnnope
@@howardtoliver4231 I miss the gritty era of NY.
Great flick. James Caan at his very best.
They sure weren't!
Almost ten minutes of pure cinematic gold from Michael Mann, and the immortal Tangerine Dream. You won't see anything as good as this in any film today. It's that simple.
You are 110% absolutely correct.
The best! It doesn’t get any better!!!
you don't see this anymore and sadly you won't age anytime soon.
Uncut gems has a similar tone and rhythm
The Electrónica de Tangerine Dreams de la línea Berlin...no Krautrock ni Dusseldorf (Kraftwerk)
You don't get any more cool badass than Caan in this movie. Probably his best performance in ANY movie. And Robert Prosky's mob boss character is the best 2 faced killer I think I've ever seen. His "talk" to Frank after his thugs kill Belushi and kick Franks ass is about as dead cold as it gets. Brilliant acting by both.
I agree; and it was Prosky's debut in a film.
Masterpiece film. The atmosphere and authenticity of Michael Mann's work remains unmatched.
The most underrated movie of all time. I speak to “SO CALLED MOVIE BUFFS” and they’ve never even heard of Thief.
Jerkoffs!
You ain’t a buff of movies If youve never heard of this masterpiece
Actually insane that this soundtrack was nominated for a golden raspberry...
Really? Thief and Manhunter sound should have gone to the Oscar nomination.
@@jorgmehring2660 Yep! Sad but it's true.. I'm not a fan of Michael Mann's scoring style but nevertheless his style is original and authentic. That is what really pissed me off
R.I.P. James Caan. You were one cool badass.
For those who haven't already seen it, be sure to check out James Caan's interview about this scene, years later. Apparently Michael Mann just ... politely ... brought in a real safe, and said, "Okay, Jimmy: Get in."
One of the finest music videos I've ever seen from beginning to end.
yep, tangerine dream
Proud owner of the original LP.
That 'glimpse' of the internals of that safe lock is an awesome second or two of perfect filmmaking. just genius
Yep, great endoscopy. :^)
The attention to detail in this film is amazing. I understand all the tools were real, including the drill and the oxy-lance (now we know what that is!), as was the safe, I believe. They had a professional ex-con on hand as consultant! :^D
Got this album totally by accident 40 years ago..seen the film years ago..this video is a weekly thing for me.
RIP James!
jimmy was the best
Agreed. Everything works. Setting, visuals, the rain!, Caan, the music. Perfection!!!
I love the way they have a separate car where they put the equipment in, then they strip off the workman’s coveralls in the alley to avoid any evidence (possible metal shavings) and lastly, the drop site where they store the equipment and work cars. This is just a spectacularly done opening sequence to a film.
Pure andrenaline! Thief explodes with this opening scene; Tangerine Dream, one of my all time favourite bands , just annihilates with one of their best tracks. The scene should have won an academy award for best use of sound and vision.
I saw this in the theater , and was in awe of Manns atmosphere and the characters in the film . Cann was excellent in this film and it also gave us a music of Tangerine Dream . To Me this is a classic .
that would have been more than an experience, though I wasn't born until '85 so missed out lol.
One of my all time favorite movies...a true classic from 40 years ago.
Not just good music but a really good crime flick, Caan at his peak, Prosky, Weld are also really good,
In fact they are all good and this is very realistic for its day ( does not seem 36 years old!)
I first saw this movie a few months ago. I'm 40 and have been an avid movie watcher my whole life... I don't go in for rating movies in terms of "favorite", etc., but this just hit me as nailing it. It's a movie made when "shit was real", in my lifetime, and conveys that reality brilliantly.
I don't call movies my "favorite", but if I did.... This is probably it.
Same , saw it at 40 on a big screen. I almost shit myself. Its the Best of the best.
Brilliant film making and a great cast. I saw an interview with James Caan, a few years ago and he said this was one of his favourite movies and he was very proud of it.. a great movie..
When this movie was released in the Cinema the whole place was deadly quite, nobody was talking over this masterpiece ! No Mobiles either..
Those were the days before you saw herberts at the cinema going on their phones during the film.
The beginning reminds me of the scene in Heat when Val Kilmer was drilling into the platinum vault.
Not surprising, considering Mann directed both. ;^)
Masterpiece.
Masterbeast
RIP James Caan 😔😔😔🙏🙏🙏
Cinematic Brilliance! Nobody, I mean nobody knows how to combine acting,ambience and music the way Michael Mann does! Manhunter is another one of his masterpieces.
Awesome opening with a kick ass score by Tangerine Dream !
I love playing the opening score on my electric organ at full volume.. Gives me chills.
I wonder how much the radio man got for sitting in the car watching the scanner. And why does Mr Cann toss all the wedding rings?? Doesn't he know the stones can be removed, re-cut, and sold off separately?? There had to be over $600k or $700k in rings there alone. As long as he was in there he shoulda bagged them. Instead he throws them across the room...
@@gregmiletti2948 It was probably easier to move the unmounted stones outright than to find a buyer willing to do the work, or to do it himself and risk holding the hot goods in the meantime, then find people willing to buy both the stones and the metal.
@@gregmiletti2948 They were only jewelry quality, not colorless and flawless investment quality. He probably could never sell them.
I really loved this movie. James Caan was Great but this sound track is off the charts. Great thinking music while driving.
This was probably the second
time I saw James Caan, next to
The Godfather.
I most definitely became
enamored with James Caan.
Just like the Godfather (i’ve
been watching since 1972 )
so whenever I see “Thief”
I’m there!
The ending song really moves me.
Thankfully he didn’t drive through a tollbooth in this movie. 😉
Safety chain for magnetic drill press in horizontal position is correct. If there is power outage or circuit breaker trips due to high motor current,equals loss of magnetic field and disengagement from metal surface,weight of drill motor may snap bit. Alternative to chain is telescopic cradle with rubber tip for friction against floor. Not sure if OSHA has this occupation covered? (:-)
So good all round. The 80's feel, lighting, the rain in the alley, car is barely visible, awesome searing soundtrack, just gripping with only a few words, this crew had it nailed down tight. Best of it is wee can still make movies like this but nobody seems to want to. This is an absaloute classic as alot of michael manns films were. Had that edge. Genius of film making. R.i.P Jimmy caan. Had something about him in his prime. Made viewers want to watch.
Certainly one of the best scores ever!
They made this all over the Near North Side of Chicago in late '79 early '80, and I was in the area when they were filming. The co-stars you mention were the rogue cops pestering Caan! 2 cops played Leo's underlings!
I'm a pretty industrial dude, and I'm surprised they showed techniques like this so close to the way it's done. I've got experience with lance bars, and ripping out door locks with dent pullers will sometimes work. Drilling the safe is similar.
Western Ave!!!
@@HAWKSWIN2013 Yep, some things were filmed on western! I think the Green Mill scene was across the street from Lane Tech. The car lot on fire was too! I knew all the locations they filmed it in, like Tex's Truck Parts, the Finkl Steel plant, Lissner Corp Scrap Metal garage, and so on! I worled on the final demo of the Finkl Steel plant, and all over in general in that area in the '80s (Finkl just a few years ago). That area is one of the most altered urban landscapes I have EVER seen!! From the "rusty" and dark Goose Island area of the '80s era nothing remains!! It is all Yuppieville now!! I can hardly know where it all was now it is so "gone"!!! I have the greatest memories of my "night moves" among all those industrial corridors!
This is..........Michael Mann's best movie.
reminds me Blade runner in the style also, like these movies from that period, And of course the association to the music of TD
I love American cars of the 1980s. Sure they were large but they were beautiful to look at it and had a sensous and sexy look. That American cars these days just don't have.
Motorcyles too, IMO.
When you talk about sensual and sexy cars, 80s cars definitely don't come to mind. Maybe high end but even then.
@@Studio2770 His black Cadillac El Dorado, though.was an exception. I wish they still made it.
@Goddard Bolt The character loved style. His clothes were Armani.
@@rickved It's a cool-ass looking car but I wouldn't want one unless I had plenty of $$$ because they were junk.
To think that James Caan actually cracked through a real safe is phenomenal.
the amazing opening has been an influence on me until this day. Great atmospheric setting, music, ambiance, and subtlety.
I don't know if James Caan was breaking the fourth wall when he sat down in that chair and started smoking up in that one scene and he was looking straight at us. This movie is one of my favorites.
Mann's cool sense of style with visuals and music is on full display here. The first time I saw Thief I was literally disappointed that this scene had to end.
My all time favorite movie. And I'm old as dirt. Tangerine Dream, Michael Mann and James Caan... Pure magic.
Who cares about "Drive" when we have this!
Agree,,,, This is a much superior movie.
What a brilliant score!
The music and back-drop certainly dump the viewer in the middle of the action at street level.
I always liked the way "Frank" clears out the safe with such delicate care, discarding some items and selecting others as more suitable.
So sad, RIP James
Such an handsome and luxurious film to see in a Great Movie House. The small screen insults this effort. Swagger, tension, artistry, pacing, killer score. This 'opening' is almost a brilliant short film into itself...
1980 at its best.
I'd say more like "early 80s" or even "late 70s"... but yeah.
One of my 10 fav films.
this and drive movie have the coolest beginning opening scene
They certainly do Ron !
Drive is a good movie but does not even come close to this masterpiece
Drive lifted much of its opening from "The Driver" [1978]
Recall the "What would Jesus drive?" campaign . . ?
Dunno, but I always thought that Satan would definitely have opted for a black 1979 Cadillac Eldorado.
I Personally Think Lucifer Himself Would Have A 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Six Pak Like Kowalski's!
The way this score is used in s2e7 of The Bear makes me so happy. Hopefully it gets people to watch this Chicago masterpiece.
absolutely badass movie. one of my favorites. I first saw this in 1980 I had no idea what I was about to get into. I still watch this movie all the time. and this is 2018 now.
Considering all the crap being released now, all the more reason to keep watching the 80s. :^)
Thanks for this vid, one of my all time favorite movie scenes and soundtracks
Nice! Calderone's Return is my number two Miami Vice opening. For me, the best will always be the opening to the episode "Evan".
One of the first all synth scores...still have this album on vinyl....still play it...Tangerine dream....
watched this for the first time last night, opening scene really sets the mood. Hi im Leo, how are you. How am I ? I'm Frank
When someone ask you "what was that thing so called Electronic Music with no dance, alcohol and drugs", simply give him this link ! Adrenaline and TD at his best !
Perfect for VaporWave
your heartbeat resonates with those of the thieves...Tangerine Dream delivers!
Mann needn't have bothered with anything else. Thief is a masterpiece.
Simply a masterpiece!!!
awesome opening, diamonds are forever!
What a soundtrack!
This film is so much more intricate than ‘Heat’. They did a similar thing in their first score by ignoring everything else and just taking the bonds.. how would they convert that untraceably into $$$?
The man they stole from was a money launderer. So I doubt the money would come up
Great flick and a great music score. Especially opening score by Tangerine Dream.
This scene epitomizes what it's like the be in the zone. Also the scene where Lou is going over footage in Nightcrawler
Hah, Tangerine Dream sure shows a presence through audio. I got the same feeling in GTA V, where TD also composed part of the soundtrack.
I hear that HEAT was a remake of this film...Both bring a tear to my eye...Both have so much to say, and such a great soundtrack.
I came here after seeing Robert Prosky in Christine. How come I have never seen or heard if this movie. Looks and souns amazing
Saw this Cult F*cking CLASSIC back in '81 when it premiered at The RKO Theater on Fordham Road, Bronx...GOOD Memories!!!..GREAT FLICK!!!
i believe it was Robert P. first film. still the best opening sequence/music collaboration. love the sonic guitar/feedback at 6.40. r.i.p.....EF
RIP......JC.
chicago was a very gritty place back in the early 80's and it still is in some sections.
The Patch
fucking love this movie
Oh yea!!
This is one movie no one has the balls to remake period
It's already perfect and unremakeable.
Sublime and brilliant in every way.
Rest in peace James Caan passed away today age 82
*I have this on Blu Ray!!!!AMAZING!!!!!*
Fantastic start without words
Beautiful scene
Literally “opening”scene
Dangerous work safebusting.
Absolutely stunning audioviz, the best the 80s (and since) had to offer. From the moment the synths set in, I was hooked!
BTW, apparently 8 guys on here owned the safe. ;^)
1981 at its best.
Top Gun and this movie best opening scene for a movie
CINEMATOGRAPHY AND SOUND BOUGHT IT TO LIFE
Greatest movie ever👌
Don't know who the DP was for the movie but someone knows how to use a camera. Focus and angles while cracking safe give you the hands on feel of being there. Some scenes from "The Asphalt Jungle" have good technical points that give substance to the film also.
Brilliant indeed----every aspect: visuals, soundtrack, mood---a perfect handing of the torch, from the also-great gritty New York-centric heist and other related films of the '70s, to the synthesizer-rific streets of Chicago in the early '80s. Mann brilliantly opened the next chapter for gritty urban cinema in the '80s, when Chicago and LA looked, and sounded, great on the silver screen. I'm wondering if there are any locksmith types, safe-crackers or general tinkerers who can comment on how authentic this movie's safe-blowing scenes were. Could one or two guys break into such elaborate, thick-doored safes this quickly/easily in real life?
The absolute greatest!!!
Think Nicolas Winding Refn watched this movie and this opening more than a few times before making Drive?
Just amazing.
Great film by Michael Mann
R.I.P. Jimmy. This is one of the best films ever made.
I wish Caan had gotten to work with more great directors like maybe Pakula or Lumet or Scorsese or even be in some movies like Peter Yates' Friends of Eddie Coyle or Bullitt or even stuff like the Yakuza by Sydney Pollak. For my money he was as good as anyone in the 70s even guys like De Niro and Pacino and i really wish he had gotten to show that in better movies.
Sidney Lumet's Prince of the City with Treat Williams was GREAT! And the string orchestra was sublime.
reminds me a bit of drive (2011) intro ,Thief is much better movie though.
You are correct,,,, This is a much more superior movie than Drive.
POWERFUL MOVES IN DARKNESS. ONLY WAY IT CAN BE DONE BY THE BEST IN THE INDUSTRY. BANGING
A scanner that magically picks up the audio while it never stops on a channel. Where can I get this magical device?
I wouldn't want to be stopped with those scanners by a cop!
Thief is always a chance for me to count my blessings.
An America of yesteryear. Mann knocks it outta the park.
Brilliant.