Once a Thief (1991 film)

Once a Thief
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Woo
Written by	John Woo Janet Chun Clifton Ko
Produced by	Terence Chang, Linda Kuk
Starring	Chow Yun-fat Leslie Cheung Cherie Chung Kenneth Tsang
Cinematography	Poon Hang-sang William Yim
Edited by	David Wu
Music by	Violet Lam
Production companies	Golden Princess Film Production Milestone Films
Distributed by	Golden Princess Amusement
Release date	2 February 1991 (1991-02-02) (Hong Kong) 14 January 1994 (1994-01-14) (US)
Running time	103 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Languages	Cantonese English French

Once a Thief (Chinese: 縱橫四海; Literal Title: Criss-Cross Over Four Seas) is a 1991 Hong Kong caper film written and directed by John Woo, starring Chow Yun-fat, Leslie Cheung, Cherie Chung, Kenneth Tsang and Paul Chu. The film was released on 2 February 1991.

Plot[]

The story is about three orphans and their two father figures. They are taken in by both a wealthy crime boss which leads to their close friendship, and a kind police officer. Nevertheless, the trio grows up learning high-tech methods of theft and specialise in stealing treasured paintings. After a heist in France goes awry, Red Bean Pudding is thought to be dead and James takes his place as Red Bean's lover. However, Pudding returns in a wheelchair, and the group begins planning their next heist for themselves, fall out of favour with Chow, and various complications and gun battles ensue.

Cast[]

• Chow Yun-fat as Red Bean Pudding/Joey
• Leslie Cheung as James
• Cherie Chung as Red Bean/Cheri
• Kenneth Tsang as Chow
• Paul Chu as Godfather
• Bowie Wu as Stanley Wu
• John Tang Yat-gwan as Young Red Bean Pudding
• Tong Ka-fai as Young James
• Leila Tong as Young Red Bean
• Declan Wong as Magician Henchman
• David Wu as Auctioneer

Release[]

The film grossed HK$33,397,149 in Hong Kong.^{[citation needed]}

Columbia Tri-Star released it on DVD in the United States on 22 April 2003. It included no special features beyond trailers.^[1] On 27 December 2004, Hong Kong Legends released a DVD in the United Kingdom.^[2] Eight months later, on 5 September 2005, the John Woo Collection, a four-disc DVD set, was released. It includes the two action films Bullet in the Head and The Killer.

Reception[]

Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club wrote that Woo's style makes up for the film's implausibility and lack of logic.^[3] Kevin Lee DVD Verdict wrote that the film has "a lack of focus and an uneven tone".^[4] Chris Gould of DVDactive.com rated the film 5/10 and wrote that there was too much slapstick.^[2] J. Doyle Wallis of DVD Talk rated it 2.5/5 stars and called it "an odd and annoyingly silly entry during [John Woo's] most creative period."^[1]

Accolades[]

See also[]

• Once a Thief (1996), a Canadian television film remake starring with Nicholas Lea and Ivan Sergei that was later spun off into a television series of the same name which ran from 1997 to 1998. Both films were directed by John Woo.

References[]

External links[]

• Once a Thief at IMDb
• Once a Thief at AllMovie
• Once a Thief at Rotten Tomatoes