James Cann interview on his role in Michael Mann’s “Thief” (1981) HD
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- čas přidán 2. 09. 2020
- James Cann interviewed about his starring role in Michael Mann’s masterpiece, “Thief”. A great actor in an unforgettable role. Criterion has produced a new digital restoration from a 4K film transfer of the director’s cut, approved by director Michael Mann, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Support Criterion and buy “Thief” here: www.criterion.com/films/28024...
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This is for entertainment and educational purposes only. I do not benefit financially from this video. All profits and credits go to their respective owners. © Criterion and others.
Old school actors had so much charisma and passion for their craft. Their interviews were just as fun to watch as their movies.
This is James Caan"s & Michael Maans greatest movie
I prefer Manhunter, as Mann's greatest film. I would agree with you assessment of Caan's performance.
@@dougbrowne9890 It's a tough choice. Manhunter is more complex, psychologically and emotionally. But Thief is just so stripped down and raw. Both visually stunning. Theif has my heart, Manhunter my mind.
Thief is a masterpiece!!
Loved Thief, but there's a special place in my heart for Rollerball (1975) and Last of The Mohicans (1992), two of my absolute favorites. And yes, Manhunter (1986) is also amazing.
@MetalReign i agree
This was the story of my own like in the 80's. In 1983 I take my girl to see this moive. She loved it. The next day she cut my hair to look like James Caan.
I was just a woodworker, but I looked damn good. Thanks.
"I was fairly popular at one time," lol James Cann is brutally honest lol
James Caan’s greatest role. People can argue and say The Godfather was his best but it was his most popular. To me Frank aka Mr Wizard will always be my favorite.
RIP, legend. Not only one the great actors but always a fantastic interview subject. Thief was a masterpiece.
My favorite movie. As of this comment I am 57 years old and have seen tens of thousands of movies
The question is, have you got your family and friends to watch "Thief"?
@@Mango62uk Yeah, one brother gets it! The music is sublime too, we love ambient...
@@jaycarlson6291 Brilliant... "Thief" is like the gateway drug to Michael Mann.. followed by a hit of "The Keep" :)
Same. Thief and Manhunter are both in my top 3.
My dad took me to see this when it came out and I was in awe. The direction and the cast were brilliant, not to mention the Tangerine Dream score. Michael Mann just makes perfect movies and next to Heat, this is his best. Tuesday Welds finest performance.
Thief is way much better than Heat. Heat is overrated and poorly acted.
Cann's Greatest Movie Ever .. He Holds 100% of The Camera all the way till the End .. You Cant Help to be Fixated at his Great Acting !
Michael Mann is the man for sure; everything.
My favorite James Caan movie.
Fun fact: William Petersen had his first movie role in 'Thief' (bartender), starred in 'Manhunter' for MM, later of course starred in 'CSI', which apparently he's going back to this fall. I went to high school with "William" (Bill🙄) and his first wife Joanne. Loved the mood and the vibe of 'Thief', and Tuesday Weld was a knockout.
@Russell Collier you can see him in this video at 6:22
Petersen was the bouncer...blink and you'll miss it.
This was also Dennis Farina's first film...he's the guy that shoots Frank with the machine gun in the end.
He debuts as Carl at the metal plating company at 17:38...A few minutes later..."Hey you, you goof...Look at the wall."
Urrizi, the cop, is played by John Santucci, in real life, a jewel thief.
@@davidbutler8096was it also the mob boss guys first film? Dude was 50 when he broke into Hollywood and later was in hillsrreet blues. Pretty cool!
Michael Mann was one of the great Directors and Cinematographers ever. If you look close you can see the beginnings of Miami Vice.
One of the most underated movies ever Caan is on another level here and Santuchi's Urizzi is one of my favorites of all time
Santucci plays an incredible character in an episode of Miami Vice called Golden Triangle pt. 2. Written by Michael Mann and of course the whole series (especially first 3 seasons) were helmed by MM. Highly recommend. Santucci is amazing in it.
Absolutely loved the diner scene. That was such a raw performance, Caan was criminally underrated.
The waitress was John Santucci's wife.
I saw this as a pre teen, in the Movie theater. You could almost _smell the smoke_ when they burned the safe. It was riveting & believable.
It also made me completely reconsider any type of crime being worth the risk..
I think it's now been proven beyond any doubt that if you want to commit major crimes and steal millions, you've got to be a banker. Those motherfuckers literally laugh at us.
The soundtrack on this movie is fantastic.
Tangerine dream.. they did grand theft auto V too
I’m becoming a real fan of early 80s synth soundtracks. Especially dark ones like this.
RIP JAMES CANN Theif was and still is a masterpiece
Please learn to spell...yes, it matters.
Caan...Thief...R.I.P.
This is basically a precursor to Heat. Love this movie and it is Caan's greatest role.
Heat was a remake of Mann's LA Takedown, its here on YT.
One of the best movies ever made ✨️ 🙌 ❤️ 👌 😍
Jim Belushi and William Peterson as the bouncer
Having held this film in high regard since it was made it is satisfying to know it carries well even now. Elegant without pretention, edited, directed and produced with great skill, the love of the subject is so clear. One of those pieces of work, like 'Heat' I need to return to every five years or so. Add 'Collateral' and 'To Live and Die in LA' to that mix.
All those film you mentioned are also in my 'must watch again' list and are what I consider near-perfect works of art. My only caveat is that Wang Chung's music in 'Live and Die in LA' hasn't aged well.
@@Mango62uk 'Wang Chung' was not on my radar then. I was steeping in Blues and Jazz, omnipresent and accessible in LA at that time, of a great quality as well. I like that sound now, buoyant and childish, great groove. My Grandson has picked up the drums so I resurrected my guitars. That's another story...
'To Live...,' 'Collateral' and 'Heat' are favorites because Mann uses Los Angeles as a canvas like few ever have. Not gritty, per se, but street level and in light I know too well. I am a "fourth-gen," my family near two centuries in Southern California. It is an intimate subject. I know the palate and tone. It's like exotic comfort food, a contradiction. You see those same flourishes in Reffin's(sp?) 'Drive,' another "Neo-Noir" classic... When I watch his work he must have been inspired (sub)consciously by Mann.
@@hugh-johnfleming289 Great explanation. We foreigners see the US though the eyes of its film-makers. How is it for you natives to see your own cities portrayed in this way? Having visited the US many times, the most accurate portraryal of urban US was (in my opinion), GTA 5!
Indeed, those are all on my list of near-perfect films, too. How about 'Manhunter,' an underrated Mann flick??
Check out Mann's LA Takedown, its here on YT.
One of the greatest films ever made. The soundtrack is perfect for the material. Caan is just incredible.
RIP James Caan:a brilliant,criminally underrated entertainer w/ a fascinating depth.
Great movie and score by Tangerine Dream. Caan and Mann are legends. Willie Nelson was amazing as well.
The greatest heist movie of all time
James caan is exceptional in this movie
One of my top 10 movies of all time. Caan's best performance. I think I read that some critics thought that the Score by Tangerine Dream wasn't good.....CRAZY!!! Probably the best soundtrack of any movie....at least top 10 again! The music went perfectly with the scenes. JUST A FANTASTIC MOVIE BY MANN!!
What a film. I came across this a few years ago and it’s a masterpiece.
One of the best movies ever made with a fantastic cast. James Caan cemented his reputation as a force to be reckoned with & this took place some 9 years after The Godfather was made and Sonny Corleone is the loose cannon of the Family. R.I.P..
A buddy of mine and I watched it three times in a row at the Theaters when it was released!
It was that good.
This is by far the Best movie he has ever made!
I have it in my video collection on DVD right there with Heat and the Bank Job!
One of my all time favorites! The sound track from Tangerine Dream is the best. The ending song on this video is the beginning of Beach Theme by Tangerine Dream! I really loved James Caan in this movie!
I absolutely love this movie! And one of the all-time great lines, "My money, in 24 hour's or you will wear your ass for a hat"👏👏👏
Willie had a great one, as well..."Lie to no one, if they're somebody close to you, you're gonna ruin it with a lie...And if they're a stranger, who the fuck are they you gotta lie to?".
Pure logic with emotion.
The realistic firearms handling in this film always gets praised, and it totally makes sense now... I had no idea they got Jeff Cooper to do the firearms training! He's largely responsible for making the two-handed pistol shooting stance standard.
THE most underrated film of all time and one of, if not the best, Caan ever did. Its set in Chicago.....when there was still a Chicago. They did their homework on this. The corrupt cops, the outfit guys, were all played to a TEE! Dead on performances. I grew up in Chicago in the late 60s and 70s and this film sure did take me back!
I was 8 when my ol man took me to see Thief. Loved it and changed my look on the other side of the law. RIP Pops.
Lol, the fulfilled look on his face after having cracked open the safe. Love this movie, it's in my dvd collection. Seen it about 10yrs ago for the first time.
Masterpiece , just had My jaw on the floor
I will dearly miss him, he was one of the BEST actor for me and may he rest in peace.
I absolutely loved this movie. " I am the last guy in the world you wanna fuck with. " This, not Sonny Corrleone is Caan's definitive role.
favourite tough guy actor in his best movie by michael mann, best fucking tough guy role ever. RIP James Caan, i shall be watching this for the 50th time since it came out
James Caan sounded like a very humble man. RIP to a great actor!
I saw this in the cinema in the UK in 1981 when it was released under the title "Violent Streets" and I was awestruck. I instantly became a fan of Michael Mann and would await his infrequent movie releases with great impatience.
I also became a fan of Tangerine Dream because of "Thief" and their incredible soundtrack.
My opinion of "Thief" today has not changed, it is still a hugely underrated movie and when you introduce it to people for the first time they invariably come to the same conclusion.
Unfortunately I think Mann's latest works have dropped off in quality in recent years, with his last movie at the time of writing this: "Blackhat", being very disappointing and forgettable.
But James Caan should rightly be proud of this role.
Good bye Mr. Caan. RIP and Thank You for everything.
Michael Mann is a God when it comes to this style of film.
Quality film...No messing about...
Straight badass movie.
RIP Jimmy, you were one of the greats.
The...I guess...the tactics? of this movie seemed so realistic. The way firearms were held etc. The two-handed firing of Caan at the end. You can tell a professional taught James the right way.
Frank's character is based on a real-life gentleman from Chicago who is still with us.
RIP brother. Its my favorite movie you were that guy 100%. It really made Mike Mann too and we all made out cause he made some awesome movies.
Fantastic. I love revisiting this era in HD it truly is a 2nd life for these old films.
Great point. Also CZcams is a great way of discovering great classics like this, as they're rarely shown on normal TV.
this movie is so good why don't people talk about this movie because its amazing mind blowing love James Cann all the acter
My favorite role of his because his character i ultra envied and admired and wanted to be in real life his bravery stubbornness will fearlessness i envy
James Caan was fantastic. Another one of the last “Movie Stars” gone. Great Actor. Cool Guy. Marched to his own drummer. Probably could have made a lot more films. But seemed to put thought into his choices.
To be honest, his productivity fell off because of the classic 80s Hollywood vices: Hookers and Cocaine. And he was honest about it.
@@JeewanthaBandara True. And living at the Playboy Mansion. I also liked Alien Nation. A movie he wasn’t that crazy about. Yeah!! He got heavy into Coke.
After Leo's henchmen kill Barry and Frank's lying on the shop floor semi-conscious as a result of the shotgun buttstroke he sustained, in the theatrical release and early 1982 HBO Leo says to Frank, in reference to Frank's family: "People'll be eating 'em for lunch tomorrow in their McDonald's hamburgers and not know it." On VHS they removed "McDonald's" and replaced it with nothing. Only a tape fwip can be heard, as in "eating them in their 'fwip' hamburgers and not know it." On DVD and Blu-ray the fwip is replaced with "Whimpy burgers."
Bloody hell! The things that films fans notice never cease to amaze me. Thanks.
"And on Dat Day I'm going to be in Dat Place!"
A dirty cop played by an even dirtier jewel thief...lol.
James Caan gave an A+ performance in this movie. One of the signature characteristics of a Michael Mann film is the near absence or total absence of contractions, especially for the protagonist. Peter Strauss used only a handful, James used close to zero.
What is contraction?
@@yourbro8906 A contraction is a form of slang, at least in the English language, in which two words become one. For example, instead of a person saying “I am disappointed,” the person might say “I’m disappointed.” “I’m” is a contraction because “I am” is shortened - contracted - to appear as one word when written and sounds like one word when spoken.
Plot, acting, directing, atmosphere, music, all fantastic - while positively accepted and reviewed, it was not quite seen as the masterpiece it is - for me, Thief, Heat, and Goodfellas are the top three movies of their genre!
R.I.P James Caan, an Actor that gave the world many many great film, they don’t make em like that anymore unfortunately.
Thank you Sir for your contribution to film - a true legend!!
Incredibly enlightening, best upload on CZcams all year. Thanks for posting. RIP Jimmy, a true master of his craft.
I'm glad I discovered this gem. What a great film and I am a fan of Caan now
One of my favorite movies...probably have seen it....maybe, 15 times.
Really good movie. Holds up very well.
Me and my best friend went and saw it when it came out in the theaters. We were both 14. Lol Saw it again a month or so ago on Pluto network. Great f--ing movie then and now.
Brilliant!
Great interview! Great film!
Awesome James Cann film, my favorite easily, and his---RIP
What a fantastic movie this is,I'd never heard of it years ago when it came on tv,but the opening scene really hooked me in and I just knew then this was definitely gonna be worth watching and I loved every single minute of it.
The Godfather is Al Pacino and Marlon Brando's movie . THIEF is James Caan's and Jim Belushi's .
R.I.P James Cann a fantastic actor his role in the film Theif is iconic brilliants 80s crime film he was a legend
RIP JAMES CAAN!
What? No way! RIP Mr C. You're immortal, now.
RIP one of the great ones.
One of my absolute favorites!
my favorite Michael Mann movie.........I even like it more than heat..........
Superb film, one of my holly trinity of Michael Mann films - the others being Heat and Manhunter .
James Cann leaves no doubt about his on screen bad ass and set the bar for many actors to follow. This movie has it all and the cast are stellar. Tangerine Dream put down a great soundtrack and Michael Mann ‘s directing is also great. The only drag is I can’t find this movie anywhere!!! I’d love to have it in my collection...😎🤨
Have you checked the Criterion collection for "Thief"? Depending on where you live etc..
@@Mango62uk Just seen your comment. Thanks for the help it’s really appreciated. I’m going to check it out...
@@johnwilde6120 Hey John, Glad to help out another Michael Mann fan :)
Hey did you ever find the movie 'Thief' anywhere? I would love to watch it again.
@@audreyann1975 It's available to buy as Blu Ray from Criterion.
Great movie
Thief
Americana noir film classic
James Caan is One of the Greatest Actors of All Time. He's in the same League as Brando and Pacino, maybe Better! Hey, Jimmy Gianni Russo is a Chooch!
Love this movie !
Ryan Gosling should have watched this before doing Drive ?
And seen how its done ! - He's the same character In every movie - Not matter what movie ! - And what's with the screaming - Screams like a child in every movie ? - Why ?
Badass James
Did anybody catch the William Peterson cameo? A few years later he’d star in “Manhunter” also directed by Michael Mann.
I read once that they wanted to use Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb and were turned down. You can definitely hear the similarity in Tangerine Dream's take on the soundtrack.
Trivia for you...The end title music was created to sound like Pink Floyd and is NOT Tangerine Dream.
It is titled "Confrontation" by Craig Safan, who is well known for music in film and television, he did "Cheers", for one example.
Great stuff! Thank you
Brilliant film
"...by a greazy muddafucka like you". That line delivery alone makes it a must watch! I'm kidding of course. Its a great clean, brutal film that opened the world to a new way of seeing. This film, ridley Scott's commercial work is why I chose advertising production (I should have gone for the gusto and moved to hollywood.)
I love how it shares alot of the dna in Heat
RIP, JC. Thanks.
Classic !!!
6:44 to hear James Caan say TWO FORTTYYY
RIP Jimmy 😢
Thank you for uploading this!! I was looking for this a year ago and couldn’t find it. Are these on the dvd bonus features?
It's via the Criterion re-release (I think)...
@@Mango62uk Hey Mango62uk. I was browsing down some of the comments for the amazing flick Thief. Did I read right that you picked it up? If so could you please do me a solid and let me know how I can. I made the mistake of lending it out and the story I got was my bro messed it up. I still don’t believe him to this day. I think he kept it. Anyway, cheers...
@@johnwilde6120 Hi John, yes, it's available on Criterion. i don't know where you live, but I think they ship to most places. In the future, you'd better RFID tag your copy and threaten severe punishment if the person "loses" it :)
www.criterion.com/films/28024-thief
Chills.
BTW was the college picture from his walet saved or was it lost during production
Thief > Drive
Thief >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Drive
Drive is good. But 'Thief' is a masterpiece.
@@Mango62uk 100%
Thank Jesus
This is a good o movie. I'd like to own it.
Why don't you then?
Gaspipe claimed this movie was about him. Him and his b & e gang gang, "By-Pass Gang. He said that the image of Caan with that burn bar was him.... but i never come across any info that he, atleast for any great length of time, went on scores with By-Pass Gang. He just collected tribute from them and they were under him.
"there's not one contraction in it" shows a clip of him using one hahahaha. "i've"
first movie I saw him in was Roller Ball, Honeymoon in Vegas is a ritual watch with a bunch of guys I know who are degenerate gamblers
You might think they would like The Gambler better.
@@if6was929 Mark Wahlberg? Was alright, nothing special. Rounders is the king of gambling movies
Let's is a contraction