Thief contains many of the hallmarks that would define Mann’s style as a film-maker throughout his career: his focus on professional details, his use of real people and locations, and his attention to the music in his films. Mann set the story in his hometown of Chicago and built on his experience with convicts from his television movie- The Jericho Mile.
Thief is a tremendously assured debut feature that’s clearly the product of meticulous preparation. No longer unattached, Frank has to decide to submit to Lou’s yoke or risk losing everything. Of course, Frank’s not the kind of guy who can do things anyone else’s way for long. Lou offers Frank and Jessie everything they’re dreaming of-money, a home, even a child - if only Frank does things Lou’s way. He’s both affably paternal and later chillingly brutal, like some kind of folksy satan.
Robert Prosky brings the faustian Lou vividly to life. To jump-start this new life chapter, Frank compromises his independence to work for local crime boss, Lou. As Frank says, “let’s cut the mini-moves and the bullshit, and get on with this big romance.” This kind of confessional conversation and abrupt decision making would normally strain credulity but Caan and Weld are totally convincing as two people looking for something better and running out of time to find it. In one of Thief ’s best scenes, the two lay their cards out on the table and decide to start a life together. While she seems far too glamorous to be a diner cashier, her humdrum life is one she built herself and something she can rely upon.
Jessie-beautifully portrayed by Tuesday Weld-is a woman with a dark past. He maintains his independence, steals only cash or unset jewels, and puts his money into small businesses he can control: a car lot and a bar. Thief is very much a character driven narrative and has the performances necessary to draw the viewer in. However, there’s more than mere style on display here. With the level of craft on display, it’s remarkable that this was a first feature both for Mann and his cinematographer Dave Thorin. The pulsing electronic score by Tangerine Dream echoes the industrial heartbeat of the Chicago underworld (parts of the score are actually keyed to match the machine whir of the tools used for the heists). Streetlights and neon line the skies and are reflected in surfaces of cars and wet asphalt. The city is all blacks and greens, eternally raining. In contrast to this realism, the stylistic elements of Thief are fantastic and alien. The magnetic drill Frank hefts to penetrate a safe door in the opening sequence was a real 200 lb drill and he really drilled through that safe door. Not only did these consultants inform the methodology of the fictional robbers, but in some cases lent them the actual tools of the trade. One of the keys to that authenticity is that Mann employed “technical consultants” on Thief (something he would continue to do throughout his career) that consisted of actual thieves and police. The tools that Frank (James Caan) and his crew use, the methods they employ, and the locations they maneuver through have a tremendous authenticity to them. Everything physical in Thief feels real, seems plausible. Two things are immediately striking upon first viewing Michael Mann’s Thief (1981) - the immaculately constructed world and the singular style in which it is presented.