Wall

Really cool crime story, and as others have mentioned, if you like Refn's Drive then you'll probably like this. The Region 1 DVD is a travesty though. Like Chris Naughton says below me, this would be an excellent double feature with Cassavetes' Killing of a Chinese Bookie or the aforementioned Drive.

Knut Morte

3Dec11

Excelente! Superb! Action! James Caan is the man!

chanandre likes this

Cinematic

26Nov11

So underrated it hurts.

Kurt Walker likes this

Tony Zhou

19Oct11

I like Mann but this one didn't do it for me. There's a handful of really intriguing scenes, but I found it too precise, too calculating. In his later films, Mann lets the frame open up and breathe more. This early movie is just too designed. James Caan is great though.

muleyhaven

11Oct11

If you liked "Drive" you should check out "Thief". Mann's 1981 film, was clearly a great influence on Refn.

PROKOSCH

21Sep11

"...until you are burned-out, you are busted, or you are dead." *shudder*

ethan

10Sep11

I can't get many of its visual rhythms out of my head.

Patrick

2Sep11

Breaks my heart.

陈振礼

6Jul11

One of my favourite Mann films, Caan was great in it and the fact that Mann didn't have an enormous budget gave the film a certain immediacy lacking in his pre-digital films.

benvanloon

1Jul11

Good Chicago flick.

Zachary Curl

31May11

despite what others will say, i actually very much liked the ending of this movie. it echoed so much of what was established early on with how the character explains himself that it doesn't feel like a weak ending if you paid attention to the character and the film. not a perfect movie, but thoroughly enjoyable and a great piece of Michael Mann film history.

Dave

26May11

An outstanding early Mann film. Shows the beginnings of one of the finest crime drama directors of his era.

Publius

31Jan11

The score is great, James Caan is great, the colours are great. The script is not so great and I found myself asking a lot of questions.

Reginald Healer Marcellin

7Jan11

James Caan is great. Trying to adopt a child: "So we'll take a kid thats not so desirable. You got a black kid? We'll take a black kid. You got a chink kid? No one seems to like older kids. You got an 8 year-old black chink kid? we'll take him" Terrible ending though. Did he write this script while in school and forget to have some one edit it? some serious weak spots are overlooked thanks to Caan...

chris naughton

18Aug10

Ever notice similarities of Thief to Killing of a Chinese Bookie? Two men in the underworld seek independence + convential normality within their version of american dream. Both charac discover to obtain dream you have to conform. Cosmo conforms, maintains only appearance of dream, dies slowly. Frank defies,destroyin n walkin off alone into sunset. Cassavetes offers truth of american male; Mann offers male fantasy.