Criterion of the Month | Michael Mann’s Thief (1981)

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For this month’s Criterion of the Month, Matt and James dive into Michael Mann’s electrifying debut feature, Thief (1981). Starring James Caan as a professional safecracker trying to pull off one last job, the film blends gritty realism with slick visual precision, creating a blueprint for the modern crime thriller. The conversation explores Mann’s meticulous attention to detail, Caan’s powerhouse performance, and how the film’s themes of professionalism, control, and self-destruction still resonate more than forty years later. They also dig into Thief’s stunning visuals, Tangerine Dream’s pulsing synth score, and why this Criterion edition cements its status as one of the most stylish and influential American films of its era.