The Good Thief
(Fox Region One DVD)
(2002)
review by Head Cheeze

Nick Nolte made a promise to himself that he would never step back into the three ring circus that is the Hollywood mainstream. Since that time, the actor's been churning out one brilliant performance after another in indie faire, and feels all the better for it. While he did resurface in a big budget flick this year (The Hulk), it was only due to Ang Lee's involvement, but, even with the film's indie cred, Nolte came off as an incoherent mess. After watching Neil Jordan's masterfully executed The Good Thief, it is apparent to me that Nolte's acting "kryptonite" is Hollywood itself, because, once again, the man delivers an award calibur performance in yet another quiet low-budget film.

Nolte plays Bob, a retired thief whose now content to live out his life as a gambler, numbing his personal demons with healthy doses of heroin. When Bob happens upon a young prostitute named Anne (Kukhianidze), he develops an innocent attraction to her that's more fatherly than sexual, and brings her into his world. Bob's protege', Remi (Lavoine) falls for Anna, and the two shack up together while Bob continues on his downward spiral into depression and self-destruction. When an old thieving acquaintance resurfaces with a heist that Bob can't resist, the old thief goes into quick detox, and begins planning the score to end all scores. However, he is never far from the watchful eye of his friend/nemesis, Roger (Karyo), a police officer who owes Bob his life, but also wants to make sure that his friend stays on the straight and narrow. Bob and his team manufacture a duel heist (one as a decoy) to steal a fortune in art from a Japanese owned casino, but as more people become involved, the integrity of the heist is threatened, and the murder of a potential "Judas" throws a wrench into the gears of the finely tuned machine. As Roger gets closer to the truth, Bob gets closer to Anna, and the film chugs along like a dynamo toward a conclusion more head spinning than a roulette wheel.

The Good Theif is, hands down, the most compelling, classy, and downright sexy film I've seen all year. Nolte is simply amazing as the down on his luck Bob, and this is easily his best performance in a career that's brimming with them. The transformation he undergoes when the promise of a "last hurrah" is presented to him is positively inspired and just plain brilliant. As good as Nolte is, his supporting cast is equally adept. Tchecky Karyo is wonderfully conflicted as Roger, the cop whose loyalty to friends and the job he's dedicated his life to are constantly at odds. He and Nolte play off of one another as if they've been lifelong friends, and their relationship is totally credible. Ralph Fiennes also pops up in a cameo as an art dealer with mafioso style strongarm tactics, and he seems to relish playing the villain here, even if his time is rather short. The biggest revelation is the unbelievably sexy Kukhianidze. She is one of the most electrifying screen presences I've seen in years and it's almost impossible not to fall for her. She's the classic "wild card" element that all good heist films employ, but she adds so much more.

The DVD from Fox features both fullscreen and widescreen presentations of the film (although I can only vouch for the very nice quality of the latter), as well as a commentary by Jordan, deleted scenes, and more.

The Good Thief is, quite simply, one of the most pleasing experiences I've had with a film in a long time. It's suspenseful, taut, sexy, funny, sad, and absolutely brilliant, and gets my highest possible recommendation. See this film. You won't regret it.