646f9e108c A romantic and action packed story of three best friends, a group of high end art thieves, who come into trouble when a love-triangle forms between them. Once a Thief is an action/comedy/romance movie involving the plight of three master thieves (in the mode of Pink Panther). All three were raised by the same father and in fact were most certainly street orphans. The story begins with a successful art heist followed by a pledge to make this the last crime ever for the trio. The plot revolves around the theft of a mysterious &quot;cursed&quot; painting and how its obsession affects the family. This is a lighthearted and funny movie that everyone will enjoy. Yes, some people get shot and a few vehicles explode. After all, it&#39;s John Woo. But it&#39;s very different from the usual heavy, brooding loyalty/betrayal theme of his other movies, and the love triangle is really … cute. That&#39;s right, cute. This iscuteJohn Woo will ever get.<br/><br/>Chow Yun-Fat isbad-assever, and you get to see him flirt and be very funny. Leslie shows off his ubiquitous tango skills. And at least 3 very good action scenes. All in all, this is one John Woo movie that&#39;s also a date movie. You can even watch this with your Mom. ONCE A THIEF (Zong Heng Si Hai)<br/><br/>Aspect ratio: 1.85:1<br/><br/>Sound format: Mono<br/><br/>Three professional thieves (Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung and Cherie Chung) steal a valuable painting coveted by their villainous mentor (Kenneth Tsang), leading to violent retribution.<br/><br/>John Woo redeemed the commercial failure of his masterpiece BULLET IN THE HEAD (1990) with this breezy comedy-caper, designed to restore his directorial fortunes at home and abroad. Originally conceiveda dark-hearted tragedy, Woo and co-screenwriter Clifton Ko (FOREVER YOURS) re-tooled the project for a Chinese New Year release, allowing the director to indulge his fondness for French New Wave cinema by setting much of the narrative within continental Europe, toplined by some of HK&#39;s biggest - and most iconic - movie stars. Chow overplays his rolean experienced jewel thief who alienates his loved ones by refusing to take life seriously, while Cheung and Chung are sympathetic and beautifulhis trusted sidekicks (the scene in which they dance the tango at a swank party is one of the highlights of their respective careers). Typically of Woo, the action scenes are fluid, dynamic and endlessly inventive, photographed with glossy precision by world-class cinematographer Poon Hang-sang (SHANGHAI GRAND). Planned and executed within a three month period (!), the movie overcomes its rough edges and jarring comic interludes (get a load of that final scene!) to emergean irresistible blend of big stars, fancy glamour and creative set-pieces. Woo returned to the story in 1996 for a Canadian TV movie (using the same title) which was dismissed by fans and general audiences alike, and quickly disappeared. Stick with the original.<br/><br/>(Cantonese dialogue)
Fresbudhsilna Admin replied
372 weeks ago